Liking Blondie
by scorpsifer
Summary: 'If the cool kids secretly whispered behind your back anyway, what did it matter if you pretended to like Blondie? It didn't. After all, Bella Swan was a Sex Pistols kind of girl.' When Edward Cullen, Chicago's best finance columnist, visits Bella's college for a seminar, he may find she is a bit too lace-and-leather for his taste. But maybe he's tired of suits and ties. AU.
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note: **__This story will be all in third person. Longer chapters than my normal; will update daily, around every 10 days or so _like_ my normal. Hope you all enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do not own, only play. These are Stephanie Meyer's characters._

* * *

Isabella Swan was planning on skipping her first class of the day because instead of Economics 306, there was a CAS assembly in her university's auditorium. A well-known columnist for Chicago's _Sun-Time_ newspaper was coming in to speak to the university students about finances and how to handle money.

She was a smart yet stubborn girl and took the opportunity to sleep in on the mandated assembly. Her roommate, Alice Mason, was particularly the polar opposite of Isabella and was a bit of a worry-wart when it came to the school's events. She bugged Isabella about going but the sleepy eyed girl just rolled back over in her bed and grumbled about how her family was up her ass since she was a kid about 'the value of a dollar'.

Isabella felt no reason to go.

But in the end, it wasn't Alice's half-committed attempts to get her out of bed, but rather her good friend, Rosalie, whose texts woke Isabella up.

_They're taking attendance. Get your ass moving._

And so the girl whipped the covers off and jumped down from her bed to the bathroom. With a huff, she gathered her hair on the top of her head, threw on some clothes and huddled to the auditorium for the CAS assembly.

Now Edward Cullen was very well known.

Well-known in the sense of any one in his field knew who he was. But these kids? At a state university? No one had a clue.

Maybe their parents, Edward thought, as he sipped on his second cup of coffee that morning. It was possible one of these kids had parents who read the _Sun Time's _finance column. And if not, they were about to hear from it today.

Edward Cullen was a finance writer. He wrote columns in the Chicago's popular economics section about how to better finance one's life. He made a living off of telling people how to save their money, how to invest in it, and how to manage a safe and healthy financial state.

And he was very good at his job.

Edward was quite familiar with giving seminars about his work however; it had been the first time his company had sent him to do college runs. He _wasn't_ too familiar with speaking to kids under the drinking age, ironically though, it was that specific age that probably needed to hear his advice the most.

He kept telling himself this as he set up for yet another seminar at the campus Isabella Swan was attending.

It was a very large school; over 2,000 kids would be graduating from the senior class this year alone. Isabella amongst them, with her BFA in CTV and Cinematography. She worked hard for her degree, against her father's will in which he battled her since day one of college. He'd rather see her in something a bit more useful like business or hospitality. Isabella fought against him with his every suggestion. Needless to say, they didn't have a very balanced relationship.

She made her way to the auditorium, seeing others shuffle to their seats in a late fashion. A lot showed up in pajama pants, others with their sweatshirt hoods still over their heads. Most of which had the same idea as Isabella. All college students wanted to do was sleep in.

It wasn't too hard spotting Alice near by the back entrance, sitting amongst her English major friends. But there were no available seats.

Figures, Isabella thought.

But it was Rosalie Hale who was leaning against one of the entrance walls, waiting for her. She smiled at her friend and they walked in together and took seats in the front.

Inevitably, those were the only vacant seats. Isabella supposed it was an urban legend that anyone who sat closer to the professor, closer to the front of the classroom had 89% more of a chance of being called on.

She didn't like sitting in the front. But because the seminar was about to start and the two girls didn't have much of a choice.

So right in the front, third row from the wall length chalk board, the two 22 year olds sat with their legs crossed, ready for the 2 hour seminar to be over.

Rosalie looked over at her friend and wondered why Isabella had been so resilient to the seminar. Rosalie was never fond of these CAS assemblies, much like any other student here, but they had never been useless. In fact, Rosalie knew she was a prime example of a 'money waster' as she came from a family who had fancy cars but ate frozen T.V dinners. She needed to hear this speech more than anyone else.

She looked to her side and watched as Isabella chewed on her long midnight blue nails. Her nails were always long, always dark and always Halloween-ready. Along with the rest of her style, Isabella's hair was lavender purple with her dark roots peaking. She had on one of her many oversized t-shirts along with sporting her black and white striped pants.

Isabella had looked like this since the day Rosalie met her; back in freshman year when Isabella's hair was half black, half blue. It was always so normal, even looking at her now, as 'stuck out like a sore thumb' as she looked, it was completely standard by now.

But along with her colored hair, the girl also had a red nose and glassy eyes, giving away that she was exhausted.

"You know, I heard Mr. Cullen is kind of hot," Rosalie said, in attempts to make Isabella laugh.

The pale girl next to her cracked a smile but didn't give the exact reaction Rosalie was looking for. She was about to say something else until the chair of the school board came out to speak.

He opened up with 'good morning's and 'happy Tuesday's to all the students who grumbled back in response. He motioned to the head of the English department for setting up this assembly and thanked the head of the business department for bringing in Mr. Cullen himself, as in his terms, was nothing because Mr. Cullen was 'an old friend'.

Rosalie sat up straight in her chair, leaning over with curiosity as a tall man in navy blue walked out on stage.

Edward Cullen wasn't a dress up type of guy. He normally showed up everywhere in black slacks and a button down, but today he was ordered to look a bit more professional instead of 'pedestrian', in the words of his boss. So he walked out in his dark blue suit and leather shoes but once feeling completely out of his skin, he ditched the top coat and threw it over a chair.

He thanked the chair of the school board and smiled out to the audience of youth. And once he did, his eyes fell upon an unusual looking girl with faded hair color and bewildering eyelashes. He caught his breath, stretched his lips into a smile, and continued on with his speech on how not to go bankrupt by the time one was 30.

* * *

Rosalie was feeling pretty secure about her future by the end of the seminar. She had enjoyed the assembly so much that she was eager to get the chance to go up to Mr. Cullen and talk to him. But she wasn't too keen on going alone and so she asked Isabella if she would go up with her.

Isabella rubbed at her nose and gave a face Rosalie knew all too well which meant 'hell no'.

But in the end, it was Isabella's arm being grabbed in tow while Rosalie made her way on stage. Many other students, surprisingly, felt the need to go up and talk to Edward Cullen about his spiel. Edward had been impressed by the student's vocation about it and was more than thrilled with bouncing conversation back and forth with them.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the girl he spotted in the audience when he first started. She was approaching with a blonde girl beside her. As Edward kept his main focus on the student in front of him, he manages to keep on a sideway glance on the two girls before they squeezed their way through.

"Mr. Cullen, I really enjoyed listening to you today. You don't know how much I needed to hear that." Rosalie started, along with offering her hand for him to shake it. She may have brushed a few shoulders and stepped on a few toes, but she found it was worth it. Edward Cullen was definitely someone to listen to. And as she stood more closely, she concluded that he was definitely someone to look at, as well.

In shorter strides, Isabella, began to realize this too.

Edward shook the blonde girl's hand with a standard smile and a 'thanks'. In that moment, he chose to hold his hand out for the other girl too. Isabella peered up at him and took his hand hesitantly. It was a quick handshake and Edward felt a chill up his arm by the time it was back at his side.

Edward didn't think he did anything wrong by his gesture. Surely, her blonde friend had no problem offering a hand shake and so he thought this was pretty normal for any firsthand meeting. But maybe the girl with the lavender hair was just shy. He let it go.

"Rose Hale, by the way."

"Pleasure to meet you," Edward responded.

He looked over to Rose Hale's friend, who looked up at him and then to her friend before curling her hand around her choker necklace.

"Bella. Swan."

"Pleasure," Edward repeated. He gave her a quick scan, noting the unusual character traits as well as style choices like her septum piercing or her slender fingers or her emotion-wild eyes.

It was an odd feeling that overcame him but he found her strangely attractive. He had always come from a professional world of suits and ties and champagne but it seemed she breathed leather and tattoos and vodka and for some alien reason, it was appealing to him.

Eventually, other students came to greet him who inadvertently, weaned Rose and Bella out and off the stage. They both politely waved to Mr. Cullen on their way out. Peering over her shoulder one last time, Rose curled back Bella's hair and whispered into her hair: "Told you he was hot."

"Sucks you like vag and not dick, Rose," Bella shrugged her shoulders sarcastically before watching Rosalie chortle in some sort of false drunken glee.

* * *

Bella had known her best friend liked girls since the moment she saw her spying on her when Bella went to take a shower. For Bella, it wasn't a big deal; she and her high school friends had all seen each other naked several times for it to not be weird anymore. But Bella always had a hunch about Rose.

She tried way too hard to be convincing that she liked other guys, that she apparently 'swooned' over the football team and practically threw herself at any guy that would ask to borrow a pencil during Brit Lit.

It wasn't until one night she had hobbled over to Bella's dorm room with last night's mascara running down her flushed cheeks; she climbed into Bella's bed with her daytime clothes still on.

"_I lost my virginity," she had disclosed quietly, quickly looking over at Bella's old roommate, turning over in her bed._

_"Are you okay?" Bella had sighed with concern._

_"I'm not sure."_

_"You're crying?"_

_"… I think I like girls."_

_Bella's expression had not changed. "Did you tell him afterwards?"_

_Rose had shaken her head, her bun falling lopsided to her left. "… It wasn't a 'he'."_

And from then on it was nothing but support from Bella and sooner or later, Rosalie had gotten used to being comfortable with herself enough to realize she would no longer let herself feel ashamed for who she was.

Alice, Bella's new roommate for two years now, sometimes would still look at Bella and Rose and have prior thoughts to the ones in her third year about how she thought they were lesbians. Even now, Alice would catch a glimpse of Rose's head resting on Bella's lap and have curiosity biting at her tongue.

But it was never like that. Rosalie had a thing for this olive skinned girl in her Social Media class.

Leah.

There were things Bella didn't underestimate about Rosalie though, and one of them was her detection of picking out attractive people, male or female. And Edward Cullen definitely was someone who Bella had taken interest in.

His spiel at the assembly the other day was nothing Bella hadn't heard before from her father, as she had repeatedly told herself as she walked back to her dorm. A waste of time though? Bella wouldn't use those words exactly. She had enjoyed it more than if she had to go to her assigned class that day.

And in any sense, it was better than nothing.

* * *

Edward Cullen went back to his apartment with nothing on his mind other than his job.

This was how it was.

Edward was the job. It had been that way since he was 18. His father embedded it in him. And he had no regrets because it got him where he was today; rich, successful, happy, and secure. But Edward was anything but relaxed. And that anxious feeling brought him straight to his fridge to grab a water bottle.

As he uncapped it and drank from it, his eye wandered to the left shelf where his beer was. It teased him a little, with its condensation running down the side.

Edward never drank on the week days. It had become an unofficial rule he had made in order to get him through the week with a sober mind. Then, when the weekend came, he could lose himself only a little. It would allow him to relax.

Right now, he needed it more than a sober mind.

But he shook his head and closed the fridge and finished the rest of his water as he walked down the hallway to his room. He changed into something more comfortable and grabbed for his work phone, scrolling through his emails.

Same. Same. Same. Same.

One email stood out. A party invitation. Professionally sent by his father.

Everything from his father was professionally done. Even with a phone call, he was always addressed as Mr. Cullen. How informal. How… impersonal. Like another employee.

A business party. An expensive business party. A lot of people. Good connections.

The email was stressed that Edward bring along a plus one.

Edward had no plus one. At least, not a permanent one.

Finding girlfriends was never an unusually tough thing for Edward as he knew he was an attractive, successful man. He breathed high class and charm but also kept a sense of humbleness to his character. All his past girl friends had extenuated just that; but in the end, they all felt like they were stamped by an 'approved' label by his company. By his work. And of course, by his father.

In the end, his plus ones were gone by the end of the month.

* * *

By Friday, one of Edward's good co-workers and very good friend, Emmett McCarthy, had convinced Edward to go out with him and some friends to a bar.

Prepared to answer with a dull response, Emmett had expressed the fact that it was more of a classy bar than the average bar stool-and-counter kind of joint. It had live music, a dance floor, amazing food and good liquor.

Edward agreed light-heartedly, finding he was probably better off with the company than none at all. And Emmett was right on all the points he had hit; him, Emmett, and another friend of the two, Jasper Whitlock, had nursed Heinekens the whole night with a dumb smile on each of their faces.

It was towards midnight that the same odd girl and her blonde friend walked through the doors.

Isabella Swan, Rosalie Hale and their other friend, Jessica Stanley, walked into the club, heading straight for the bar. Other than having the same major as Bella and Rose, Jessica Stanley didn't have much else in common with them. But Jessica Stanley was a girl that had lived in Chicago her whole life, unlike Rose and Bella, and she knew where all the hotspots were for nightlife. And so Bella and Rose took special interest when Jessica invited them out to parties. Just like tonight, Jessica had favored this bar over all others and asked the two best friends to come along.

The three girls walked over to the bar and ordered their drinks while scoping out a table. Most of the time, a group of guys would vacate their table for them or invite them over if they sported the right kind of attitude but tonight was especially crowded. The tables were swamped and even the hottest girls with their pushed up breasts weren't getting tables.

Jessica made a sour face as she lead the girls through the crowd with their beers held up over the heads of the dancing people.

Looks and glances never fazed Bella; not since she was in high school. Her unusual style either gained looks of good attention or bad attention, but nonetheless, it was always some sort of attention. With artificial hair color and her intricate tattoo of a sketched fox up her forearm, it gathered looks from anyone. The black sheep, she figured, but who wore lipstick.

Usually, though, it ended up being guys that looked very much like her that gave her good attention. It wasn't hard to propose the guess that Bella's past boyfriends consisted of a lot of tattoos and eyebrow piercings.

Rosalie and Bella squeezed and shimmied through most of the crowds, following Jessica to the back where there were possible table opportunities. And it was then that Emmett McCarthy smacked Edward on the shoulder and jut his chin out towards the crowd.

"Check out that blonde over there," he said, placing his beer down on the table.

Edward shifted his gaze over to the near wall where he recognized the same girls that came up to him that day of his seminar. Rose Hale and Bella Swan. His eye lingered longer than needed, until he looked back at Emmett.

"Looks like they're looking for a table. Mind if I invite them over?"

Edward looked from his friend, Jasper, to Emmett, hooking the neck of the bottle between his fingers. "They were at my seminar the other day. They're college students."

"So you know them? All the better!" Emmett smiled and hopped off his high-chair. He made his way over to the girl, Rose, and began chatting with her.

"You know them?" Jasper asked. Jasper Whitlock had a bit of a southern drawl and on certain words, it really came through. He also had his hair tied back in the shortest of pony tails; imitating the look he had in pictures of himself and his family back on his home ranch. He kept a few photographs in his office at work.

Edward chewed on the inside of his cheek, glancing again at the girl named Bella Swan. "No. Those two introduced themselves at the seminar, but I don't know them," he said pointing to Rose and Bella. Edward didn't know the third girl with them.

Jasper just nodded and drank more of his beer, his eye following Emmett as he came back with the three girls.

"Alright, so here we have Rosalie, Isabella, and Jessica—"

"Mr. Cullen?" Rosalie said, the end of her voice heightening with excitement.

"Mr. Cullen. That sounds so weird," Emmett mused.

"Edward is fine," Edward noted awkwardly.

Automatically, all three of the guys offered their seats to the girls in which only two of the girls took. Rosalie and Jessica sat down with a 'thanks' as Jasper and Emmett stood next to the table. They were both equally tall enough to still maintain eye level even with the girls sitting.

Edward stood openly, gesturing his vacant stool to Bella who looked from Rosalie to Jessica until she cleared her throat.

"I'm going to get another beer," she shouted over the music, squinting playfully at Rose in hindsight before leaving.

Without much thought, Edward downed his beer and set it back on the table. "I'm going too." And followed her.

At the counter, he offered a smile at Bella before she got the attention of the bartender. And before she could answer, Edward held up two fingers to the bartender who nodded at him.

"Thank you," Bella said politely.

They shared a look before Bella shyly backed down, and focused on the bar counter. Edward's grab for something to say seemed harder than it had been in the past for him. This girl was enthralling in ways that stunned Edward's performance in charm.

"So in all honesty, what did you think of the seminar?" He asked halfheartedly. He didn't really care about her reply; he just wanted to talk to her.

"It's not anything I haven't heard before," she shrugged her shoulders.

Edward raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You good with money?"

"I bought my own car when I was 18. I pay for my own expenses."

"Car insurance too?" he joked.

"Want to see my bills?"

He chuckled. "No, not until the second date."

Her laugh was pleasant and cute and it made Edward crack a smile. The bartender eventually brought them their drinks but they remained at the bar while they took their first sips.

"So I think my friend likes your friend Rose."

"The big guy is going to have a hard time." Edward assumed Bella was referring Emmett to his size as he was considerably taller and overall bigger, compared to Jasper and himself.

"Hard to get?"

"Not exactly. He's not really… her type." Bella took another sip of beer, her long fingernails wrapping around the base of the bottle securely. Her lipstick stained the bottle neck.

"What's her type?" he asked, vacantly curious.

"Someone with long hair and boobs."

Instantly, he understood and didn't ask more about it. But his curiosity about something else caught the better of him and he leaned in closer.

"What's your type?"

Bella put her bottle down, biting into her lip like she didn't know the answer.

Maybe for the first time since seeing him, Bella finally took a long look at Edward Cullen. She and Rosalie both had blatantly pointed out that he was good looking; that was obvious. But he carried himself in a certain way that Bella hadn't found in other guys at her college. Edward was older, maybe not by much but older than her. And he wore a casual button down shirt with dark pants; casual but still more professional than anything the other guys in this club were wearing. He was straight up business; at work, he probably carried a briefcase and had his own secretary. Combed his hair and owned an affordable yet promising apartment in the nicer part of town.

When thinking about it, Edward Cullen wasn't necessary _not_ Bella's type but just someone she had never dated. And she guessed she was someone Edward had never dated.

Because with a look in the mirror, the two of them were complete opposites.

Bella thought to her roommate Alice, and figured she was more of the girl he would date.

Brown hair, brown eyes, English major, wore dresses. Not boring but… standard.

She saved her answer for herself because Rosalie had fished the two of them back to their shared table. And eventually Bella did take Edward's offered chair and the girls sat and drank their beers along with the guys who stood and drank theirs.

And Emmett continuously hit on Rosalie the entire night while Rosalie nondescriptly hit on the woman bartender collecting the empty beer bottles.

Near the end of the night, Jasper and Emmett waited, a few blocks down, for the city bus to arrive for the girls. Initially, the offer for a taxi was thrown in but the girls insisted on not having the guys pay for another expense of theirs, as the guys had already picked up the tab on all the drinks.

While waiting, Bella pulled Edward over to the side.

"So, you can come over and look at my car payments if you want," she said in a low voice.

Her hint was bluntly displayed; Edward looked over at his friends before responding. "Don't you have a roommate?"

"Yeah, but she's probably gone for the weekend."

Edward shifted his weight onto his other foot, seeing the night fall as well as the look in her eyes.

"I think maybe another time would be better," Edward said slowly, feeling the words not sitting right on his tongue.

Bella brought her lips into a tight line, her lacey black dress clinging to her skin uncomfortably. "Oh, okay."

"I don't want that to come off as—"

"No, it's fine, I understand," she brushed him off.

The bus finally pulled up to the curb in time for Bella to collect herself. The three girls gathered together, looking wildly dressed amongst the other pedestrians in jeans and hoodies shuffling onto the bus.

Just as the bus turned out of sight, Emmett turned to Edward and sighed, his large chest sinking down.

"I'm going to marry that girl, Edward."

And somehow, Emmett was just as much in the dark as Edward was.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do not own, only play. These are Stephanie Meyer's characters._

* * *

"I think you're going to have a hard time with that one, Emmett," Edward said, skimming through his untouched salad for the past half hour.

The two men sat, gathered in Edward's office during their lunch break. Emmett leaned against Edward's desk as Edward sat in his computer chair; looking over some articles that he kept re-reading the titles to. He was quite distracted that afternoon.

Emmett brought his coffee mug down from his mouth in just the slightest. With a bit of anger, he asked why.

Edward didn't want to be the one to ruin it for him but he thought he might as well tell Emmett so he didn't waste time on something he couldn't have.

Edward sighed gradually. "She's a lesbian, Emmett."

Emmett almost spit out his coffee.

"No she's not."

Looking down at his articles, Edward didn't bother to feed into Emmett's expression. "Yeah, she is."

"Girls like Rosalie are not lesbians; not when they look like that."

Edward then chose that moment to look to his friend, bitterly; he rolled his eyes at him. "Not all lesbians have butch haircuts and studded belts."

"That Isabella girl seemed to."

This caught Edward's attention more fully. "She had very long hair, Emmett," his tone was defensive.

"Yeah, but her choker had plenty of studs on it," he replied, walking over to the trash can to discard his sub sandwich wrappers.

"Isabella isn't a lesbian."

"Then how do you know Rosalie is?"

"Because Isabella told me."

"Sure she's not hiding herself?"

Again, Edward's sigh was heavy and he looked up again from his work to give Emmett an estranged face. "She invited me back to her dorm room that night."

Emmett decided to completely discard his coffee then, setting it on the table for good. "Really? But you didn't go."

The brunette got up from his chair to retrieve a file that was on the other side of the room, and when he realized that it was not there, he phoned for his secretary Charlotte to retrieve it for him. But Emmett wouldn't let the conversation pass because he was too invested now. And while he gave time for Edward to answer, he shortly realized that he _wasn't_ going to answer. So he asked him again.

Edward chewed on the inside of his cheek. He looked over at his co-worker with a tired expression. "No, I didn't go. She's a college student… inviting me to her dorm. It just seemed… very unprofessional."

"Ed, you're not her professor. You're what, like 5 years older than her?"

To be honest, that wasn't what Edward was concerned about. Age was the least of his worries.

"She's just…" Edward pondered.

Emmett answered bluntly. "Weird."

"What?"

"She's weird."

Edward shook his head. "She's not weird."

"Dude, the girl looks like an Addams' family member."

He shot Emmett a frustrated look. "Why don't you worry about your girl problems and I'll worry about mine."

"Fine," he said, getting up from Edward's desk, "And Rosalie's not gay."

"Bella's not weird."

Emmett gathered up the rest of his belongings and headed for the door. Edward caught his attention with an intentional cough.

"She's not weird; she's just not the usual girl I would date, that's all."

His hand on the door handle, Emmett's shrug was noncommittal. "Who said you have to date her?"

* * *

Because Alice really did leave for the weekend, Bella sat in her dorm room alone.

After spending time on her bed with her human anatomy book, cradled on her pillow like a lover, she got up to go to the bathroom.

She thought about the reasons why Edward would reject her and she looked to her reflection in the mirror for answers. Could it have been her hair? Her tattoos? Her piercings? Her wardrobe? Could it have been less about her exterior and more about her age?

Bella didn't think so as his reaction at the club didn't reflect his prior treatments to her while they were talking and drinking. Confused, she stared at herself, touching her pale cheeks lightly.

It only took Bella two minutes of careful pondering to realize that she didn't care at all. Because she wasn't about to steal something out of Alice's drawers to make a guy like her. She stopped trying to impress people ever since junior high when she pretended to like the cool kid's favorite band.

Because the real clandestine was if the cool kids secretly thought you were weird and they whispered behind your back anyway, what did it matter if you pretended to like Blondie?

It didn't.

Because Bella had spent too many years 'liking Blondie'.

And after all, Bella was a Sex Pistols kind of girl.

* * *

The next week came and went and Edward's trash can had seen many water bottles until Friday night when it started to see beer bottles. And the trash can started to fill up quick.

As Edward tipped back another, he walked over to his phone charging by his bed side and held it up to his ear. Emmett answered on the third ring and answered with a yawn.

"Hey, did you get Rosalie's number?"

"Why?"

"Because I need to get Bella's number."

Edward had thought about it over and over in his head; relating his problem to finance. He wasn't sure if this was a good investment. Edward had invested his time into other women, women of many sorts that of which he thought were secure and would hold up in the end.

This was proven wrong. So maybe he wanted to change investments. But was it risky?

Emmett's words rang in his ears the most. _Who said you have to date her?_

It took a lot to get Edward drunk but eventually, his brain saw clouds and his judgment became impaired.

And her cell phone number became hot under his fingertips.

Rosalie had been somewhat startled when Edward Cullen rang her phone. Startled because it was Edward Cullen and startled because it was almost 1 am on a Friday night. And it was almost too easy to guess that he wanted Bella's number because she wasn't stupid. She had an eye for body language and she had known Edward Cullen liked her best friend just like she knew her best friend liked him back.

So as soon as she rattled off the numbers and closed the call, she ran over to Bella's room and banged on the door. Alice's tired face answered, the only light in the studio coming from her little desk lamp shining down over an opened text book. Bella was in her bed, her body curved towards the wall.

Rosalie climbed into her bed and woke her friend up with an obnoxious smack to her ass.

"Ow!" Bella whispered.

"Edward Cullen is going to call you."

Bella rolled over in her bed, not thinking too clearly, and rolled over onto Rose's knee. Her cry was quiet but it did render a look from Alice who hopelessly hovered over her book. Her attempts at studying were going to be shot down for the rest of the night if Rosalie stayed.

As she sat up in bed, Bella picked up her phone off the hood of her laptop and looked at it, as if it would start ringing.

"Rose, go away."

The blonde made a sour face and started to climb down from the bed. "And this is what I get for helping. I'll be waiting for my 'thanks' later on." At the door, she shimmied the lock back open. "Bye, Alice," she added before leaving completely.

By the next morning, Edward had called Bella's phone but didn't leave a message. She stared at the unknown number, even though she knew exactly who it was but she didn't call back. And it wasn't until later Saturday evening did he actually call again and did Bella actually answer.

"Have dinner with me." Was his apology for the other night.

And Bella saying 'yes' was her accepting it.

* * *

Bella came off the local bus a block away from the small Italian restaurant that wasn't too far away from her dorms. She had only been there once before and it was on Easter when her and her friends decided to eat somewhere elegant for the holiday. It made them all broke, but the most she could say was that the food was very good.

She walked in dressed in black as Edward had expected but her hair was tied up in a high pony tail. High cheek bones, or perhaps just her makeup, her adamant attitude and smiling face greeted him warmly at the door. The hostess took them to their table where they sat in a secluded corner near the windows.

Bella noted Edward's appearance as being very disciplined but not too overbearing where it could pass for unrehearsed; he was sleek and put together and he looked much older in comparison. She had fleeting thoughts of running off to the bathroom to wipe off her dark purple lipstick.

"You look frightened; should I be worried you'll bail on me?" Edward said, then realizing that perhaps he was in the wrong; he had been the one ditching her a week ago. He rethought his words but it seemed Bella was already focused on her answer.

"I'm just not used to eating out a lot."

"You don't eat out?"

"I'm a college student. I can't afford to," Bella grimaced at her own comment.

But Edward took this lightly and offered an amiable smile in response. "That's right; you pay for everything yourself."

"Turns out I need text books more than I need Italian food."

"No pizza deliveries?" His expression was somewhat serious and he was all the bit curious if her and her friends had splurged for the occasional take-out. Edward remembered his college days not too long ago and remembered living off of Ramon noodle and mac-and-cheese. And of course, pizza. However, he had not been in the deprived financial state as it seemed Bella was.

His family was wealthy.

"Sure. 'Couponing can make a world's difference.'"

It was then that Edward tilted his head to the side in reaction to the familiar phrasing. Bella watched him nonchalantly before peeling her lips back into a smile.

"Did you just quote me?"

"I told you I was listening during your seminar."

Edward laughed. "I never accused you of not listening; you were the one who said you had heard it all before. From whom I may ask?"

"My father."

"That makes sense."

The waiter came by, offering the two the wine list. Soon though, the waiter became far too interested in the couple before him, finding them somehow strange, in his opinion. Maybe they were brother and sister, his thoughts pondered. Maybe it wasn't a date at all. In his job description, it was all about proficiency and professionalism and right now, he had been breaking one by staring. The other, by stammering briefly when Edward riddled off the name of a wine the waiter had forgotten about due to lack of sales from it. It was quite an expensive bottle.

Bella didn't know wines, and if she had, she would have never let him order such an extravagant bottle. Talk about spending your money wisely.

But the waiter nodded, took both orders and left.

Back at the table, Edward roamed the girl's face; perhaps searching for an answer to his endless list of questions. Bella noticed he was staring so she put her glass of water back down on the table to ask.

"What are you looking for?" she asked, her fingers playing around the base of her glass.

"Not _for_. _At_ something."

"And that is?"

"Your face," he said plainly.

Bella's sharply plucked eyebrows rose with interest.

"You're interesting."

"Should I take that as a compliment?"

"I would, yes," Edward replied. And he meant it with the utmost sincerity because she was simply interesting. To look at, to talk to, to be near. Even her voice was inviting, like it was taunting, curling a finger under his chin and whispering to him.

Bella Swan was not like the other girls he had dated, no, that was obvious. They were a little less inked than she was, Edward though vicariously. However, looking only skin deep would result in a shallow answer. It was soul that she had; character, and moods, and personality. And it was the very reason that she didn't work for his company that made it that much easier to talk to her because for once, Edward Cullen was able to talk to someone who wasn't about the money.

Irena, Kate, Tanya, Carmen; it was like they were programmed into talking only and all about the company. About editing. About policies. About finances.

And tonight, Edward Cullen talked about pizza, and then when their food arrived, they talked about college courses, and in the car ride home, in which Edward drove them both, they spoke of authors like Jack London; Bella's favorite.

And when Edward asked her to come to his flat, it wasn't an expected invitation on Bella's part. She had the opportunity to say no.

But she didn't.

She slipped off her heels and took down her hair; it was longer than Edward had originally thought. The glasses of water acted as props, discarded on the coffee table when in the bedroom, Bella removed her dress.

The lingerie she wore underneath was leather straps connecting her lace underwear to her lace and very see-through bra. She unhooked it all.

Her nipples were pierced.

She rolled down her pantyhose one leg at a time, fingering them off smoothly while tossing them to the floor.

"You've never been with a girl like me," she whispered in Edward's ear slowly; the tendrils of her hair trailing down his chest.

Edward didn't think he had answered out loud but the answer was still 'no'. Because after all, deep shades of purple lips were left on his neck and chest. Her back was covered in more tattoos such as a detailed cross, a crescent moon, and black feathered wings.

And her nails cut into his skin like flames licking his throat.

It was like sleeping with the devil. Or maybe sleeping with a saint.

If either one of them had nipple piercings and eyeliner.

* * *

**Thank you all for reviewing!**

**Hope all is well (:**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do not own, only play. These are Stephanie Meyer's characters._

* * *

The somehow exhausted, somehow upbeat brunette woke to find Bella near the closed window getting dressed. She slipped her evening dress back on while stuffing her wad of under garments into her sling-over bag.

She looked over her shoulder, zippering her dress, and gave Edward a faint smile.

"I have to go."

"I see that," Edward responded lazily, not completely favoring the idea of her leaving.

And in all honesty, Bella's apprehension to leave so quickly was not out of resentment for last night but rather out of embarrassment for this morning. She had woken up earlier than Edward had. She used the bathroom, got a glass of water, and may have hung around the living room of his apartment a little more than she'd like to admit. Running a dainty finger over all his photographs, which speaking for herself, she could say he must have not been much of a sentimental guy. There were only two picture frames.

One that looked like his family. And one of a younger Edward and what looked like a childhood pet dog.

Bella had also snooped a bit when looking through his fridge, which was generally stocked, and cabinets, which had more of a guy's touch. Everything was mismatched and nothing held a permanent pattern. Like each piece he bought came from a yard sale.

It was easy to figure that Edward was as normal as the next. However, she did not know this man. She did not claim to know him. And even though last night was nice—really nice—Bella felt more comfortable disappearing than drinking coffee with him at his kitchen counter.

She looked to him now and his broad shoulders and became flushed with a memory. Her hands fingered around in her purse for her dorm keys before looking back up to find Edward still watching her.

He eyed her carefully; noting simple things like her messy hair bun and her pert breasts poking through her dress. Her neglected bra's strap hanging outside her purse eyed right back at him. And in that moment, Edward found himself in a predicament of making excuses for her to stay.

"I'm meeting some friends at the library," Bella said in attempts to leave the room without it leaving the air dry.

Edward got out of his bed, and slipped on some boxers. He followed behind her and to his door where he was about to offer her a ride home when she mentioned something about the bus. Her school must have had its own card because Bella seemed to have used it a lot for public transportation. It was yet another thing Edward wasn't custom to seeing. Granted, none of his 'date's ever took the city bus back to their apartment.

Bella stood by the door way and looked up at the man she had spent her whole night with. Her smile was genuine as she went to leave it at the door.

All of his excuses died in theory when it came down to why he really wanted her to stay. And none of them seemed good enough. So he figured he would have to wait to see her again. Edward reached down and kissed her chastely on the mouth; her lipstick had rubbed off, leaving her natural lips pale but round and cute.

The girl said goodbye and left.

* * *

Back at the dorms, Rosalie lay curled up on her bed, with a permanent smile spread across her lips as she read the text messages from her phone.

They had been from Leah.

And all Rosalie wanted to do was to call up her best friend and tell her about it but Bella was nowhere to be found. After checking in her room, bothering a once-at-peace Alice, she came to the conclusion that Bella was still wherever Edward was.

It left a bit of a pungent taste in her mouth thinking about it, but she brushed it off and subsequently waited until Bella came back.

Meanwhile, Bella was riding out her 'walk of shame' on the city bus back to the dorms. She knew she looked a mess, down to her frizzy hair, smeared make up and wadded up pantyhose in her purse; the only thing more could have been the smell of men's cologne that was obviously not hers.

But she liked the smell of it. Even if the older lady next to her didn't.

Bella wasn't hiding her feelings by thinking it; she liked Edward Cullen. The finance columnist for Chicago's _Sun-Time _newspaper. It came to much of a surprise to her that he even found interest in her because as she knew it, she didn't look like regular girls.

Her unfamiliar need for more was biting at her and it made her cross her legs before her stop rolled around the corner. The more she thought about it, the more she figured that maybe he was different. Maybe guys like him really did like girls like her; and it seemed okay at the time to think so.

Bella got off the bus with her purse buzzing. Having high hopes for it to be the cause of the male species, she was slightly disappointed when it had only been Rose.

"Hey Rose, I'm walking up the stairs now," she said with the phone tucked in-between her cheek and shoulder. She headed up to Rose's room; a floor higher than Bella's and walked right in with her shoes in her hand.

"Good. You're here. How was last night?"

Dropping her heels to the ground, Bella nodded and climbed onto Rosalie's bed, plopping onto her pillow. She encased her arms around it and rested her head on the edge, looking back at Rosalie sitting next to her.

"Good."

"That's it?"

"No. He's really good at foreplay."

The blonde haired girl sat there for a moment, thinking it was a joke until she realized it wasn't. She had forgotten how blunt Bella was with personal details of her life.

Her friend's tired expression took over the mood of the room. Bella could tell Rose's questions were just a conversation starter for what she really wanted to ask. So in return, she peeled her face away from the pillow to give Rose a responsive glare.

"How's Leah?" Bella was fully aware of the texts the two girls had been exchanging back and forth. She watched Rose's face now change to something completely different. She bit her lip.

"Good."

"That's it?" Bella mocked her.

"No. She's really funny."

"Well, that's nice. Ask her out yet?"

Rose fingered the hole in her sweatshirts' sleeve.

"Yeah, I'm not sure that might be a good idea."

Bella looked confused. "Why?"

"I… I don't think she likes girls."

Bella shrugged her shoulders, closing her eyes. "Does she know you do?"

"Yeah, Bella, because that's how I introduce myself these days. 'Hey, how are you, I'm gay.'"

"Least of all with Emmett," Bella muttered casually.

"Hmm?"

"Edward told me that Emmett McCarthy's into you."

"What, you two are already sharing secrets now?"

"Well, it's not like it's a secret, Rose, he was practically licking your neck the other night."

That somehow pleased Rosalie and she smiled. "That's nice."

Then Bella sat up, proposing an idea. "Why don't you go out with him?"

"Lead him on even more? No. And what about Leah?"

Shrugging seemed to have been the new habit Bella picked up. She did it again and waivered the current options. "It's just a date."

Rosalie's roommate, Angela, walked in with her book bag in tow. She sat it on her desk chair and peeked up at the two girls on the bed, greeting them warmly.

"What's up, Ang?"

"Eh, nothing really. Hey, did you hear about that Cullen guy, the writer from last week's seminar; he donated a whole bunch of money to the university."

Bella's off-putting expression was only legible for a second because she disguised it with false interest. She said she didn't know and then she hopped down from the bed, claiming she had homework for the week to get caught up on.

* * *

Unhurriedly, her body moved on top of his, slowing the friction between them to a light spark. She sat up, digging her nails unintentionally into his chest, thrusting her weight into him.

His mind, although thoroughly aware of how he felt and how his body reacted, was oddly distracted by other things; and in between heavy breaths he tried asking her questions.

"Do you want to get coffee some time?"

Bella's response was noncommittal or at least nonexistent as she pretended not to hear him.

"Maybe like, lunch… or something." His breath hitched, her mouth hot on his neck.

She sloppily put her hand over his mouth until she was finished; gradually sliding her body off of his when her high had subsided. Edward's arm rested behind his head, staring up at the ceiling before turning his head to her. Bella was still panting.

"What?" She asked finally.

"Did you want to go out for lunch sometime?"

"Why are you asking now?"

He rolled over onto his side, facing her. "I don't know; I've been thinking about it a lot."

"A lot?" she seemed confused.

"Well, not a lot. But I've been thinking about it."

She swallowed uneasily and sat up in the bed, her hair falling off her shoulders and over her sweaty chest. "Okay…"

"Great." He smiled faintly at her.

* * *

She stirred her tea deliberately, watching the design of the fancy leaf in her milk foam disappear before taking a sip. Edward sat across from her, paying attention to his own cup of coffee that was simply done up; black.

Though his timing of asking was odd, the actual dining out wasn't too bad as they took his car to a local coffee shop in town. They sat by the window, drank their beverages and somehow maintained a lighthearted conversation.

But the air didn't stay light forever as it was the looks being shared amongst others, seeing the two sitting together, that had Edward on edge. The tall, older, handsome man and the young, lacy chick with odd colored hair. Though Bella didn't notice much, it was Edward's attention that was on everyone else.

He had had coffee with many other girls before; no one would had ever given them a second look. But Bella bore particular attention and it may have been normal to her, but stray eyes left an unsettling feeling in his stomach. Having the public's eye on him for reasons other than for his finance seminars was definitely unnerving to him.

However, Bella's question distracted him. "You donated money to my school?"

"I do to almost every location I do assemblies for." His reply was easy and nonchalant. He sipped at his coffee.

Her own eyes focused on his lapel and matching black jacket; casual wear but never jeans. He always wore some sort of slacks or dress pants, even when out for coffee. Bella leaned back in her chair.

"And do you find that a good way of investing your money?" She asked as a joke.

He chuckled lightly, setting his cup down. "When I have the money to do it, yes. I like being nice."

"That was very nice of you, Edward," she battered her overly mascaraed eye lashes at him.

His sour face spoke differently. "I don't need claps on the back for it. I did do it anonymously."

"Yet, everyone at my school knows it was you."

"Why does it matter?"

"It doesn't. Just making conversation."

His lips quivered, challenging her response before he dropped it. It wasn't until half of his coffee was finished did he bring up conversation again. His elbows draped the table, taking occupancy of the space.

"I like you. I like spending time with you."

Bella pursed her lips slightly, twitching a smile to one side of her mouth. "I like spending time with you too." Her wink was kinky and deliberate.

Edward laughed. "No, I like _spending time_ with you," he said in a hushed voice, looking around for any observers, "But I also like spending time with you."

Her sudden note of his sincerity hit her differently than her mistake of thinking he was trying to be funny. When she acknowledged that he had really meant what he said, she found herself without words to say.

"Oh. I… like spending time with you too."

"Good."

Later on, as they walked the blocks in random search of something to do, or maybe nothing particular to do at all, Edward took notice of the looks he was given again and he felt the need to bring it up.

"Mind if I ask you something personal?"

"Think we're passed that barrier yet?" she said, along with thinking, _You've seen me naked._

"Okay then. How do you handle the staring? Does it bother you?"

Bella knew immediately what he was referring to and her initial shrug wasn't really an answer for him. He waited until she said more.

"Not anymore. Whatever, I like how I look."

She looked up at him, catching his eye. "Does it bother you?"

"Believe it or not, I like how you look too."

"That's a load off my shoulders."

Edward cracked a smile as they walked back to his car.

Later that night, his father had emailed him to remind him about the dinner party his building was holding as the spring season was beginning. The importance of a plus one was once again written in at the end of the email, prompting Edward of a choice he had to make. The endless nagging from his father only conveyed Edward's next action of picking up his phone to ring the only girl he could tolerate as a 'plus one'.

"Hey Bella, are you busy two Saturdays from now?"

* * *

**Thank you for all your reviews! And a special thanks to recommending this story to ADF!**

**This chapter is a bit shorter than the rest; next week's will be longer, as will the upcoming chapters.**

**Will be returning to college for my junior year on Thursday; but I will definitely make sure this story stays updated.**

**Thanks again and as always, I hope all is well (:**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do not own, only play. These are Stephanie Meyer's characters._

* * *

She was stunning.

She was dressed perfectly, but she definitely stuck out like a sore thumb.

She was also someone Edward had no idea how to introduce.

_Friend_ kept slipping off the tongue but even that sounded inadequate. _Date_ sounded impersonal, and _girlfriend _sounded like he was pushing it.

She was the only one in white, or rather, the only one confident enough to show up in white as the female anatomy was all about hiding curves under dark colors. At least this was typically what Edward thought women thought.

But Bella's long sleeved dress extenuated them and otherwise showed off her pale complexion.

But it was also her hair and nose piercing that caught most of the attention; so would her tattoo if not for the sleeves covering it.

Edward's father's face was illegible as he greeted both his son and his son's plus one. Smiles and white teeth and champagne being exchanged, Edward trailed Bella around the party with nothing but a hand to the small of her back.

It was a quiet and delicate party, as most of them are. They were frequent throughout the year and were always held in the dining hall of the building' extension that was only a couple of blocks down the way. Now, these parties never held any crucial element to them however, it always shined appropriate light upon those who did attend because from time to time, the editor-in-chiefs and executive branches would make appearances. And it was good for Edward to be one of those faces to show up; to show that he _cared_ about _Sun-Time._

So sometime into the evening, Edward had wandered over to the bar to collect drinks when a long time employee and old time date of Edward's tapped him on the shoulder with a pink smile.

"Kate, how are you?"

"Good. You look good."

"Same to you, as always."

"Always the gentleman, Edward," she said lightly. Kate's gaze lingered over at his table where Bella sat and her thin eyebrow rose in delight of question. "Like the young ones, hmm?"

Edward looked from Bella to Kate and let out a sharp sigh. "She's not that much younger than you are, Kate."

"And she can drink?"

"You think I'd give alcohol to a minor?" His question was rhetorical as he didn't care for what her answer was.

"You did with me," Kate replied timely.

Edward didn't say anything back; he leaned away from the counter and took both drinks in his hands.

"Where did you find her, Hot Topic?" she laughed as Edward walked away.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm just playing. I know she's a college student at CSU; your father told me about it."

"And why did we never work out before, Kate; you're just so charming with your introductions."

"Who's biting back now?"

Edward's reaction cooled, rolling his eyes at her but not officially blowing her off. He was professional and knew Kate's personality way too well to get as heated as he did.

Kate did the Feature stories; she was a pretty important aspect to the newspaper. Not a lot of people could do her job because some of the stories she took on were hard. 'Hard' was an interesting word because 'hard' didn't appeal to the work load, as in quantity, but just that sometimes the stories she had to cover were no easy feat. So he asked how things were on her side and she gave the same shrug that everyone else gave when one was asked about their job. Even Edward fell victim to it.

"Eh; sometimes I'd rather be on your end advising people rather than informing them of the disasters going on around them."

"Bad financial choices _are_ the disasters going on around them," Edward commented.

"And that's why you do what you do so well."

Kate lifted her champagne flute to her lips, taking delicate sips as her eyes wandered around the room. Her hair had been a lot shorter since the last time Edward had seen her. Kate and her two sisters had same similar ice blonde hair and angled cuts that framed their angular faces. Kate was the youngest of them all and rather smart for her age. She impressed Edward the day he read her column in _Sun-Time's_ magazine, back when she was doing puff pieces.

She was a cut throat worker now and people respected her for her job but Kate was never a 'nice' person. 'Nice' wasn't in her vocabulary.

"Pleasant to see you again, Kate."

"You too, Edward." Before he left her, Kate quickly grabbed him by the shoulder, catching his attention. "Oh, quick tip; if you want to be taken seriously as a journalist, maybe dating a My Little Pony isn't your best bet."

Edward's terse words were pre-planned since the day they stopped dating. "You're terrible at giving advice, Kate. You could never do my job."

Back at the table, Bella had been watching the exchange between Edward and the other woman whom Bella was not familiar with. She seemed very comfortable around him which led Bella to believe that they were old friends, maybe more.

Maybe less.

It didn't matter too much, Bella told herself, as they weren't dating. Bella agreed to come as a business deal; a sort of commonplace agreement. But it didn't explain her insides turning on her when she saw them talking. Bella was smarter than to trust her brain over her gut and she reminded herself of this when Edward walked back over.

He handed her a glass of champagne and gave a polite smile to her as she thanked him.

"Are you having a good time?"

"Yup."

The evening slowed after that; dinner being delicious yet drawn out with too many courses for Bella to finish. By dessert, the only thing she could filter was water.

"We can leave soon if you want," Edward whispered to her as he leant over in his chair.

She nodded to him but didn't give him an exact answer. She would leave when he was ready because this was his dinner, not hers, and she didn't want to be the cause of making him look bad.

However, they eventually did leave not too much longer after his nudge at the subject and in the car, Edward offered her to stay the night.

Bella declined unwillingly.

"Sorry, I have an in-class exam tomorrow. If it were any other night, I would."

"I understand." He kissed her on her lips after parking on the street.

"Thanks for inviting me. I had fun."

Edward looked at her with wonder. "Did you?"

"Yeah," she reassured him.

"I'm glad." Forced or not, she couldn't completely tell if his smile reached his eyes.

"Night then," she said.

"Night."

* * *

Over the next few days, Rose had informed her best friend that she agreed to go out on a date with Emmett. He had overly expressed his excitement for it; however, Rose's end was failing to reciprocate.

In the end, she asked Bella if she would feel comfortable double dating with her with Edward. Bella's automatic response was that the two weren't necessarily dating but looking at it from Rose's perspective, she begged much to differ.

Bella agreed only for Rose's sake.

Rose felt bad asking because she really didn't want to put Bella in a place of compromise, especially with Edward. Bella shared just about everything about their relationship with Rose and it seemed to her that they were just sleeping around, nothing too comfortable for permanency. But Rose knew her friend way better than Bella knew herself and what Rose depicted was that Bella really liked Edward, way more than she let on.

One of the signs included Bella's lingering in the hair color isle of the supermarket.

Another included Bella's constant phone-check during movies, studying, and even during class.

Rose briefly asked Alice about it when she came by the room to borrow Bella's Canon camera for a project shoot. Alice was uninformative about it just as she was with everything else. But Rose knew what was up.

The night of the double date, Rose and Bella got ready separately but met up in the same room before leaving. Edward thought it would be more appropriate to pick the girls up rather than leave them to taking the bus so both the girls occupied the back seat while Emmett sat up front with Edward.

Bella was offered the front seat next to Edward initially but knowing it might have been awkward with Emmett in the back seat with Rose, she chose the wiser option.

Everyone might have been flirty with each other the first night they all met but it was also with liquid encouragement that made it the night it was. Tonight, however, it was like Rose had never been on a date in her life.

Although, it came to Bella's attention that this may have been the first date she had been on since she 'came out'. And this date included a guy.

They equally chose a place that was less expensive; a place definitely not as extravagant as the Italian restaurant Edward took Bella on their first outing. It also gave Rose the excuse to wear her favorite jeans, instead of something like a dress.

And Emmett certainly liked this idea as well; he was thinking about what he wouldn't do to mentally freeze frame her ass.

Bella wore the same black and white striped pants Edward first saw her in and now at the table, complimented her on them. It was a quick moment, but it was a moment shared between the two that only Rose noticed. But it was quickly forgotten once the waiter came and went.

"So, you two have the same major; CTV?" Emmett asked, starting the conversation.

Both Rose and Bella nodded, setting down their sodas to answer.

"I originally started out as a theater major but I wasn't crazy about their drama program. I became more interested about what went on behind the camera so that's when I switched," Rose stated, surveying her answer as an appropriate one. The two guys then looked to Bella to answer, perhaps believing her answer would be similar to Rosalie's.

"I'm really into photography. Still photos. But I also really liked how movies are framed, what kind of lens they use, the editing process of it. Plus, I wanted to choose something that would piss off my dad. He'd prefer I be like my roommate; an English major."

Emmett laughed, finding humor in it as he looked to Edward. "Sounds like Jasper's kind of girl."

"Jasper's weirdly into literature," Edward added, pointedly speaking to Bella and Rose.

"By all means, do whatever to get her out of the room. She never leaves," Bella replied, sipping at her drink again.

"What do you have planned after you graduate?" Emmett inquired, looking to the doe eyed girl with her attention mostly taken by Bella and Edward.

"Oh. Um, Bella and I were thinking of getting an apartment together in L.A. and getting jobs somewhere in the movie industry. Maybe work backstage for a few theater productions, get our way inside and move higher up."

"Sounds productive, but what are you going to do in terms of money? The entertainment industry is wildly known for how difficult it is to get in, let alone it being shallow towards anyone trying to make it by themselves without references," Edward cut it.

Bella looked to him, a bit perplexed by his grab for curiosity; she couldn't help being bothered by his pushy attitude towards money.

"It's not like Rose and I are going in blind; we'll have money saved up by then. Other jobs lined up to support us," Bella replied, steering the conversation away.

"Sounds risky," Edward commented.

"Sounds like any other college student's plans post-school."

"Sounds fun," Emmett added, clearing his throat from the tension surfacing the table.

They all moved on from the subject that was otherwise beginning to become touchy towards Bella. They ordered their food, strayed from any serious conversation until the wine hit Rose's nervous system and calmed her down. By the end of the night, she was as talkative as she normally was.

Emmett still had it in his head that Rose Hale, the beautiful woman sitting next to him, couldn't have been into girls. Not that he felt there was anything wrong with that nature, but just that he didn't want that to be the case with _her_. Because even Edward could tell that this girl had his best friend wrapped around her manicured fingers and there was no undoing it. And Emmett wouldn't settle for anything else unless he was physically removed from it.

Nearing towards the end of the night, the double date slowly turned into two separate dates at the same table and it was Bella and Edward in their own conversation with Rose and Emmett in theirs.

And Bella still couldn't help but feel bothered by Edward's reaction towards her L.A. plans. So while picking at her dessert, she softly brought it up again.

"Do you really think it's a bad idea? Me and Rose, moving out to L.A.?"

Edward was surprised the topic was brought up again, but didn't really think much of it. He shared his fork with Bella's and picked at the crust of the pie.

"No. I just think you might have a tough time, and I wouldn't want you guys to struggle for months and then have to go back home because it didn't work out."

Bella arched an eyebrow. "So you automatically think we're going to fail?"

He shook his head. "No. But I'm being realistic by saying that it won't be easy."

"I know it won't be easy, but that doesn't mean we're going to fail."

He put down his fork. "I never said you were going to fail."

"But you did!" Bella's voice heightened.

Defensively, Edward put up his hands and backed off. "I didn't mean anything by it, Bella. Really. You asked for my opinion."

Bella cooled herself and took a drink of water. Momentarily she felt bad for fighting at him, but she still wasn't completely comprehensive with his wording.

"But Bella," Edward started, looking at their half-eaten pie rather than her face, "You really don't think you'll have a hard time?"

Her inhale was sharp as well as her sideways glancing towards him. "Is this a money thing again?"

"No."

She clicked her tongue. "You think I won't get a job because of how I look?"

"Now I'm not really saying—"

"Yes, Edward, yes you are. That is _exactly_ what you are saying."

Rose and Emmett looked over cautiously at the two stubborn people across from them. At one point, Emmett almost felt compelled to intervene but also felt it might not have been any of his business. Probably Rose's business more than any of them. However, Rose wasn't sure what to say either.

"No, Bella, listen to me. I'm not saying you won't get a job. But maybe the hair and the nails and the piercings are a little much. Maybe toning it down when you get out there…."

"Do _you_ think they're too much?" Her voice lowered, becoming soft and filled with emotion.

The brunette softened his face instantly, feeling sorry for what he had said. And the truth was he didn't regret _feeling_ that way because his approach was always realistic. And if speaking realistically, no, he wasn't so sure if Bella would have a breezy time finding a serious job in the industry she wanted. But was his execution delivered poorly?

That he wouldn't fight on.

Because he didn't mind her looks at all.

But maybe this conversation wasn't even about her, but rather himself.

Because, would people take him seriously dating a girl like her, because of her looks? Well, Edward just wasn't that sure. Even with his realistic approach.

"No," he finally answered.

The dinner ended on a sour note for one half of the couples. The other half would beg to differ, or rather the other quarter would. Emmett thought it went brilliantly well. So did Rose, but it wasn't Rose pursing a second date.

Why?

Because at the end of the night, Rose received a text from Leah, and there really wasn't much left to say at that point.

* * *

**Thank you for your reviews!**

**Is Edward right? Wrong?**

**Hope all is well :)**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do not own, only play. These are Stephanie Meyer's characters._

* * *

"So are you guys dating?"

"No."

"It sort of looks like you're dating."

"We're just hanging out."

"And having sex."

"Yes. And having sex. And hanging out."

"Oh yeah, those coffee shop visits are real relationship builders."

"You're sarcasm isn't relevant because we aren't looking for relationship builders."

"Then what are you guys doing?"

"_We're hanging out._" Bella finally shot her friend one last look before returning to her laptop which has dimmed out because of the lack of activity on it. Bella was supposed to be doing a discussion post but got caught up on Rose's _21 Questions_ she liked to play any time Bella had work to do.

It had to have been an underlying reason as to why they never roomed together. Bella would never get any work done. How Rose still managed to keep a 3.84 GPA, Bella would never know. But her patience had been running low with her lately and she wasn't feeling up to sharing _everything_ about her and Edward.

There was nothing to hide. But she could feel Rose's motives behind her questions and Bella just didn't want to deal with it today. Or tomorrow. Or any other day.

And because Bella didn't rag on Rosalie about whether or not she should call Emmett or Leah or whoever, she expected the same sort of courtesy from her.

Rosalie finally gave up, huffing a little as she crossed her arms and legs out in front of her. As she sat on the floor, beneath Bella's desk, she had one of her text books lying on her lap. The pages went unread as the blonde haired girl was too distracted.

"So when Spring Break comes up in a week, are you going to stay with Edward or go back home?"

Bella turned around instantly, sporting another glare. "Do I have to send you out of my room?"

In a silent response, Rose slammed her book shut and got up from the floor. Her hair swung violently behind her as she tucked the book under her armpit and headed to the door.

"Fine. I'll leave."

Bella wasn't exactly sure if that was the typical reaction from Rose as Bella had never meant any harm. Even when raising their voices at one another, it was always more on the sarcastic side than anything else. And even though Bella kind of wanted Rose to leave the room, she didn't really want her friend to _leave the room._ She didn't want to make her feel bad.

However, maybe there was more going on with Rose than she let on. Because one thing Bella knew about her friend and that was if something was bothering Rose, you didn't know about it. You didn't hear about it.

Her mother could have died (God forbid) and you wouldn't know a thing until suddenly you're being invited to a funeral. Because Rose was good at hiding.

But maybe she was slipping. And Bella couldn't tell.

In truth though, Bella hadn't really known how to answer Rosalie's questions because she hadn't really known herself. And it was the very fact that they were just 'hanging out' that made things so vague.

Relationship? Bella wasn't sure she had one with Edward.

But he invited her out to fancy events. Well, one event.

And they always talked over food and drinks and she's had sleepovers at his house; yet, she didn't have a clue as to what to perceive the relationship as.

It also made it hard for Bella to really decide because of the miniature fight they both had on the double date about a week ago. Everything Edward had said that night just really rubbed her the wrong way. It had been under her skin ever since.

She didn't feel it was smart to bring it up again but she felt that if she kept thinking about it, because it bothered her, it was worth bringing up again. But maybe later.

Bella would decide later.

* * *

Since spring was right around the corner, it was easier for Edward to get away without a suit jacket every time he stepped outside. And even now, his jacket had been discarded, folded on the back of his desk chair, as him and Jasper made a short trip to the hot dog vender down the block.

Edward quickly paid the man and took the dogs in his hands; handing one over to Jasper. He smothered it in mustard while Edward ate his plain.

"I don't think I'm going to get an extension on that piece; I can't get it done before Sunday."

"Did you talk to Garrett about it?" Edward grabbed for a couple of napkins.

Jasper shook his head. "No; I'd be in there for hours. You know how he is."

Edward pursed his lips; he knew exactly how Garrett could be. "He was my boss for 6 six years. I know how he is."

The two men continued to eat their hot dogs on the way back to the office. This was custom of them to do so; they had been going to the same vender for as long as they could remember, but in the winter, it's not there. Now, since the weather had been inching higher, the vender finally came back. And so did their business.

Edward finished his and threw the wrapper away in a street garbage can, as well as Jasper's. They sported the same neutral color tones in suit pants and shirts; ties loosened.

Jasper looked over at his co-worker and noticed he had been a bit on edge lately. Work was stressful; Jasper Whitlock of all people had known that. He had been working since 14 as a newspaper boy and then went onto doing hard laboring jobs up until college. Working for the _Sun-Times _paper was his first suit-and-tie job. The hardened callouses on his hands could prove that.

But for his friend, he had always seen Edward handle things under pressure. And he did it well. Lately, however, his work had been sloppy. Forgetting files, leaving things behind in meetings, and even when it came down to his own writing; the flaws and shallow mistakes of a beginner writer were visibly appearing all of a sudden.

Now Jasper didn't ever critique Edward on his work but because of his actual job description, it was Jasper that dealt with all the articles first hand, choosing which were laid out on Sunday and which weren't. And Edward's work had been careless.

Looking at his friend now, Jasper rubbed the back of his neck, seeing how to approach the situation. He delved into it casually, figuring this method to be best.

"How's everything going?"

Edward looked over at him. "Fine. You?"

"Oh, I'm fine."

"Why ask?"

Jasper's noncommittal shrug was a bit on the heavy side. "Nothing. You just seem… stressed is all."

"Oh." Edward left his mouth on an 'O' shaped form. "No, I mean, I'm fine. Just having one of those weeks, I guess."

"Still seeing that girl?" It was the first time Jasper ever brought her up. There had been no reason to in the past; Edward never really talked about her that much so Jasper didn't feel it was serious. But then and again he would catch slipped conversations where her name was mentioned or it was Edward on the phone for his whole lunch break with her; so Jasper figured that they still were seeing each other.

"Yeah," Edward replied indolently.

"How's that going?"

"Good." His reply was sincere.

The conversation was going exactly how Jasper expected and what he had expected was nothing from Edward's end. One worded responses weren't uncommon coming from Edward but Jasper also knew that if a guy really liked a girl, she would be all he talked about. And even with Edward, he thought maybe he would share.

They all knew Emmett never stopped talking about Rosalie. But it seemed the whole office—no, the whole building—knew she was a lesbian, except him. But he talked about her anyway.

Edward didn't talk about Bella.

"I only met her a couple of times; what she like?" Jasper asked curiously.

Edward and Jasper approached their building and he held the door open for Jasper as they both walked inside, nodding politely to the receptionist behind the counter.

"She's really nice. Smart. Funny," Edward laughed lightly, hitting the elevator button.

Jasper nodded, waiting for him to continue. He didn't.

"So, are you guys dating or…"

"We're taking it slow," he answered sensibly, looking over at Jasper for reassurance.

"Sleeping with each other for over a month is taking it slow?"

Edward peered over at him through the slits of his eyes, trying to figure out what his friend was getting at. Jasper wasn't being intrusive, but everyone seemed to be asking him the same question lately. He had wondered why all of a sudden his relationship was the main topic of the day for everyone. Money, stocks, loans—fine; his advice was more than adequate to be on display for people to pick at but his personal relationships? No; Edward Cullen was still a private kind of guy.

He sighed heavily and started tightening his tie as both men stepped on the elevator. Jasper followed suit, poking around at his maroon and black tie.

"Please, you and Maria almost got married after three months of seeing each other."

"We never claimed to have been taking it slow!" Jasper rebutled.

"Whatever, Jaz." Once they arrived at their floor, Edward stepped out.

"And she's not putting a damper on my work, if that's what this whole thing was about," he added as he walked off.

Being left behind in the elevator, Jasper watched his friend walk off to his office. He rubbed the back of his neck again and let out a sigh he thought he was holding in since the moment he greeted Edward that morning.

* * *

Beads of water fell on them, hot water dowsing their bodies and creating steam in the bathroom. Peppered kisses were being distributed all along Edward's chest as Bella traveled down to his stomach and hips.

As she knelt lower, she grabbed him by the groin and enveloped him in her mouth, watching him groan under the shower head. Her nails dragged along his backside, catching him off guard but making the pleasure feel all that more euphoric.

Shamefully, he was finished before he would have liked to. But before she went up to kiss him on the mouth, Edward stopped her.

"What are we?"

Bella wiped her face from the water and tilted her head. "We're showering. And kissing," she said, grabbing him by the back of the neck to taste him. Her tongue rolled around in his mouth, wanting him to kiss her back the way he usually did; hot and fierce.

He pulled back and laughed. "Obviously. I mean, what are we doing? What is this?" he motioned to the two of them.

She looked puzzled until she understood and took a tiny step back in the tub.

"I don't know. We're having fun, right?"

Edward didn't really respond to that.

"You're having fun, aren't you?" All of a sudden, Bella seemed uncertain. Maybe even a little insecure.

"Yeah, of course I am," he reassured her, "I'm just wondering if this is… us dating or…"

Bella wiped her mouth gently. "I don't know. It's whatever you want it to be."

"That's not a very solid answer."

"Well, what are you looking for, Edward?"

"Am I your boyfriend?" he asked plainly, "Or rather, are you my girlfriend?"

Bella falsely smiled, awkwardly shutting her front to him. "You make this sound so middle school."

"I don't care if it sounds middle school; there really seems no other way to ask you about it."

"Can't you just fuck me and we'll talk about it afterwards?" Her tone became pleading and she grabbed onto him by the shoulders, pressing herself against him. Looking closely, her waterproof mascara was now starting to smudge and cloud her eyes, her dark roots starting to show underneath her lavender coloring.

"Bella, I don't know why you're being so resilient to this?"

"Look, I'm just not good at being someone's girlfriend."

"You're doing a good job now."

"That's because I'm doing it as your girlfriend."

He made a face. "Well, what would you be doing differently if you were all of a sudden to become my girlfriend?"

She didn't have time to answer.

"Just do what you're doing now," he added.

"Why are _you_ so persistent about this?" The water was starting to run cold; she could feel it down her spine, chilling her fingers and toes.

"Because I want to know what to address you as to my friends and family. And apparently 'girl I've been seeing for a month and a half who I like but we're taking it slow' is too long of a label."

The flustered girl pursed her lips in pursuit of saying something sarcastic or bold but in the end, she let it go. She wasn't going to fight for something she wasn't sure of the motive or cause behind it. Because she really did believe she wasn't good at the whole boyfriend/girlfriend thing, but also, it may have seemed that Edward didn't care.

Because if they could go on how they were right now, even with the labels, Bella assumed things would turn out alright.

"Okay."

"Okay what?"

She rubbed the water out of her face once more.

"Okay, I'm sorry."

"Sorry for making me beat an answer out of you?" he laughed.

She didn't.

"Edward, would you please just fuck me now?"

His mouth was hot on hers and they stayed in the shower until the water ran completely cold.

* * *

Later on, Rose Hale received a text message while she was at the library printing out some forms.

_He's my boyfriend._ The text read, from the girl who Rose had recently been avoiding up until now.

She grimaced at her phone until it became a frown, while texting back.

_Great. But I think Emmett thinks he's mine._

* * *

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**Keep checking my profile because I will be posting pictures soon; I have a couple of my own drawings of Bella's tattoos that I thought I'd share.**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do not own, only play. These are Stephanie Meyer's characters._

* * *

Leah Clearwater was behind on her college credits.

She didn't start on time like the rest of her high school graduating class did. She stayed behind a year to work and build up her bank account. She stayed home to help with the bills while her mother was laid off and forced into part time job. She worked her summer and fall and spring until she was able to apply the following year.

When she applied, she applied to only a few schools.

She was accepted to all three; however, she found it hard to choose between the better college or the one closer to home.

In the end, choosing the one further away and _not_ the better school was her option for reasons she couldn't even remember.

So she started out as an Early Education major, but she didn't like that. So she switched to a Christian Ministries major but that was no good either. She switched two more times, before settling on History in Researching and Resource Management; she was fascinated by museums, historical organization and preservation.

But even with all the switching, she wasn't even done with her gen-eds.

So Leah Clearwater was 23 by the time she was a senior and she was working out those last few mandatory classes so she could graduate. In order to do this, she was taking 7 classes in one semester. Two of them being 8 week courses and half of them being online, she barely left her room _or_ the classroom buildings.

But it was in one of her annoying introduction classes that she had somehow skipped over in her scheduling over the years that she ended up in a class with Rosalie Hale.

Leah Clearwater had heard a lot of things about Rosalie Hale; granted, she attended a very large campus so the rumors must have been worth hearing.

Rosalie Hale was the girl worth being jealous over. Typically good hair, good skin, good physic, but on the inside, rotten.

Leah had been raised in a Christian home and was brought up with strong morals and manners and behavior; Leah didn't have tolerance for 'mean' people. Leah also didn't have jealously issues either.

So when Rosalie Hale showed up in her class that first day, Leah was not eager to introduce herself anytime soon. So she ignored her for half the year.

For that half of the year, the most Leah could report on was that Rosalie never offered her hand to answer the question. If she was called on, she always had the _right_ the answer, but she never volunteered to share it.

Leah found out Rosalie Hale was _smart_.

She also realized that the blonde haired girl had a sophisticated way of speaking in class. Many times Leah overheard Rosalie talking with her friends and every other word out of her mouth was 'like' or 'oh my god, so' but in class Rosalie was a well-rounded speaker. It was a no wonder she had a minor in Communications.

Leah then realized Rosalie Hale was _different_.

But it really wasn't until the class was assigned to groups—all of which Leah hated immensely—that her partners were two guys and of course, Rosalie.

She sat down next to her and at first Leah was off put because the girl wouldn't stop staring at her. Leah had thought maybe something was on her face or maybe Rosalie was judging the way she looked, but it all reflected poorly on her when Leah realized Rosalie was smiling the whole time. And when Rosalie had stopped staring and smiling, she was politely asking questions and making smart notions and being _nice_.

And that's when Leah found out that Rosalie Hale was pretty; exterior and interior.

They exchanged numbers; Leah thinking it would be great to get Rosalie's help with assignments if she ever needed it. But mostly, because Rosalie Hale seemed like a friend Leah wanted.

Rumors were just rumors. This was what Leah Clearwater configured.

Then another new week came around, a week before Spring Break and Leah would be able to go home for week and see her mother. She was all geared up to take her midterms and be done with it all for a little while, until she heard another rumor.

_Rosalie Hale is gay._

Leah didn't think much of it; she had obviously learned her lesson the first time.

_Rosalie Hale is a cootchie licker._

_ Carpet cruncher._

_ Muff mouther._

Rumor or not, true or not, it was not something Leah would ever approach Rosalie about. Considering they weren't even close, friendship wise. But her disinterest in the matter didn't derail her away from the possibility that the rumor could be true.

Maybe she wanted to know.

Maybe she didn't.

Maybe it was none of her business. But she liked Rosalie, and Leah didn't think it was fair that anyone was talking about her personally like that.

Leah Clearwater didn't know what to do.

* * *

Bella sat next to Alice and Rose on the city bus. They decided maybe getting out of the dorms would be good for them because they had been locked inside for hours studying.

They rode the city bus downtown until they hit an ice cream parlor that was open late and gave college discounts. They walked inside, ordered, paid, and ate their ice cream in a booth in the corner.

Alice wondered if the two girls would be staying in the dorms for Spring Break like she would be and so she asked this, spooning a nice dollop of strawberry ice cream. Both of the girls had said they weren't sure but Rose thought it was more likely than not that she would be going home. Bella was a little less sure.

And it was mainly because of Edward, this Rose and Alice both knew. Because after Bella and Edward had had their discussion about their relationship, they had definitely put a discloser on the topic. And with that, they had been seeing more of each other.

The thought of not seeing him for a week left Bella strangely strained and she was reassured by Rose that it was a normal feeling; a normal feeling for a _girlfriend_. Bella grimaced at her remark.

"I don't care what I'm doing, just as long as I'm not locked up in the damn dorms all week," Rosalie proceeded to say, "I'm tired of looking at my computer screen."

Both Bella and Alice said _'Same'_ in unison and smiled at each other in congratulations for their sudden telepathic abilities.

And it was also then that Leah Clearwater walked in with two friends of her own. Once she saw Rose sitting not too far away, she smiled and waved over to them.

One of the features Rose liked about Leah the most were the very pale, very scattered freckles Leah had on her nose. They occurred more when she got sun and it complimented her olive skin so well. Leah had shoulder length, very dark hair that was layered with bangs and fringe in the front. And her fingers were very long and slender and feminine.

But mostly, it was just about everything that made Rose smile, including when Leah walked in the noticed her sitting there.

Surprisingly, Leah was there with Jessica and so she smiled at Bella, Rose, and Alice in familiarity and then went to order her ice cream. With them was another girl, named Lauren; an athletic girl who was known around the school for knowing archery.

"Nice seeing you guys," Leah said before wandering back over to the counter.

"Isn't she just frosting on a cupcake," Alice murmured, licking her spoon.

"I know; she's perfect," Rose said in a very serious manner, not seeing the sarcasm in Alice's voice.

As it seemed, Leah, Jessica and Lauren were taking their ice cream to go and Rose quickly shoved Bella out of the booth so she could follow behind them to get Leah's attention. At the door entrance, Rose caught the dove tail of Leah's shirt to stop her.

"Hey, maybe we can hang out sometime," Rose offered casually, not trying to sound overly zealous.

Leah nodded, her back against the door, keeping it open as Lauren and Jessica were already outside.

"Sure, what are you doing for Spring Break?"

Rose pursed her lips. "Not sure yet. You?"

"I'm going home."

"Where do you live?"

"Oregon."

"Oh."

"Yeah. But I'll be back that Saturday before classes start up again. We can hang out then if you want?" Leah's voice didn't particularly match her attitude and appearance. If anything, her voice would be described as raspy and low. Another trait Rose found so appealing.

Without sounding too disappointed, Rose nodded in agreement and released Leah, letting her close the door and walk off.

When Rose returned to the table, Bella and Alice were both looking up at her with odd expressions.

"What?" Rose asked.

"Nothing," Bella said and they all eventually returned to eating their ice cream.

Later on that night when Rose and Bella had resulted to studying in Rose's room, Bella fingered her notes lazily, feeling the day's wear on her shoulders. She was tired and wanted to sleep. She began packing her things to move back to her room when Rose shut her books as well.

"I don't care what people think, you know?"

Bella looked over at her. "Okay…."

Rose continued. "But I don't want them to say anything about her. I can take the cruel jokes and sarcastic slanders, but I don't want Leah to fall under that with me."

Bella slowly knelt back down, with her hands in her lap. And in that moment, she felt really bad for her best friend. Because it _had_ been bothering her; this was it. There was no telling just how bad it really was because even this was a surprise to Bella that Rose was even sharing but Bella could probably figure that it was hurting her a lot.

And the sad part was Bella was crap for comforting people; always had been.

"Leah is a big girl. She can make her own decisions."

Rose's eyes were sad as they looked up at her friend.

"Yeah, but she doesn't even know. About me."

"Then maybe you should tell her."

Rose only nodded. And eventually, Bella got back to her room and got ready for bed. She washed off her makeup and wrapped all her hair on her head to tie with a scrunchie. There was a time, when Rosalie first came out, that Bella wondered if people would start thinking that because Bella hung out with Rose so much, it meant that _they_ were dating. Bella didn't lie to herself; she admitted that it bothered her at first. But the she realized that she just didn't care because it wasn't true, and even if it had been, that it didn't matter because it wouldn't have been anyone's business but Bella's and Rose's.

Although, Bella could understand why Rose would be upset if more rumors would spread about her and Leah. But Bella thought Leah would be a little injudicious if she hadn't heard any of the rumors about Rose yet, so Leah couldn't leave all the blame on Rose. If she had heard the rumors, she wouldn't be going in blind.

And if she hadn't, well, Bella hoped for Rose's sake that honesty was going to play a key role in that new-found friendship somewhere.

Because after all, honesty was the only non-enemy in any relationship, wasn't it?

* * *

As it turned out, Bella ended up staying for Spring Break, leaving her parents very unhappy on the welcome mat of their front porch. And the very decision to stay was ultimately for two significant reasons. One; Bella hated going home, as her father was a human tirade and her mother was just always so tired, visits home were least of all pleasurable. And two; Edward.

Since their turn around in the shower, literally and figuratively, Bella spent more time with him than not, physically never seeing the inside of her dorm that much anymore. This excited Alice just as much as it saddened her. She loved having the room to herself, but Bella was still her friend… and not seeing her meant Bella was just another person Alice never saw because she was a home-body.

So Bella had originally spent most of her nights at Edward's and then at her classes during the day, repeating the cycle as fluently as her schedule allowed her. But this past week has been bliss as Bella didn't have to rush anywhere for any classes at any specific time. And it was amazing.

She lay in bed, facing Edward as he lay on his back, facing the ceiling. She reached up to starting kissing his jaw when he made the notion to speak up.

"So my mom and father want to have dinner with me and you some time soon."

Bella sighed and pulled away. "You know, I like you and all but you have such terrible timing on when you want to ask me things."

Edward cracked a smile down at her, pulling her closer to his chest.

"You 'like me and all', huh?"

Her smirk grew, kissing the edge of his mouth. "Yes."

"Thank you."

"Thank you?"

"Yes, thank you. I'm being polite." Edward watched as she then squirmed out of his arms and sat up. She tossed on a t-shirt of his, sitting on the edge of the bed while fishing for her hair out of the neck hole.

"Oh c'mon," Edward reached for her and pulled her back into bed, "You _know_ I like you. I like your face." He began dragging his lips along her cheeks.

"I like your hair. I like your lips." Edward made a silent note that she hadn't worn her usual shades of lipstick today, or recently at all. Her pale lips screamed at him now and although tender, plump, and still perfect, it was odd to see her without the red. Or purple. Or one time, even black.

"I especially like these." He lifted his hand under her shirt to kiss one of her nipple rings; her breast puckering from the touch.

A tiny moan escaped her lips as he did so.

Edward's hands lightly traced the outline of her curves, sliding a hand down her chest to her hips where he lightly stroked her inner thigh. Bringing one of his other hands back up to her face, he kissed her again heavily on the mouth.

With ease, Bella sank back into her original spot and clung to him.

"But my parents though," he said in between his nips to her mouth.

Bella inevitably pulled back. "Dammit, Edward."

"Just say you'll have dinner with them."

"I already met your dad."

"Yeah, but not my mother and besides, you were introduced to my father at work; he's a completely different person then."

Her sigh was a submissive one, allowing the room to swallow it but somehow leave it lingering in the air. And Edward felt it and knew this dinner was probably the last thing she wanted to do, but it was important. To him.

"Okay."

"Thank you." He kissed her once on the lips.

"When?"

"Whenever you want." It didn't really matter to Edward, per se; he just thought his parents were excited about Edward having a solid girlfriend for the first time in a couple of years.

"This week then; might as well while I'm off. Get it over with."

"Your enthusiasm is killing me," he stated sarcastically.

Bella set her head back on her pillow, sinking into it. "You already know I'm not completely thrilled."

"Not good at meeting parents?"

"No; I'm great with parents. Parents love me. All my friends' parents took one look at me and knew I was the responsible one." Her attitude was quite serious.

Edward cocked his head to the side. "Are you joking with me right now or?"

"Just shut up," she hissed, crawling to sit on top of him.

Edward then sat up, pushing her back down; he grabbed onto her hips for power. With delight, he tore her thong off and tossed it to the side as his tongue traveled down her below her naval.

And all the while, Edward still wasn't quite sure if she had been serious or not. But he would find out, now, wouldn't he?

* * *

**Thank you for your reviews! As always!**

**Drama is in the air... I hope you all can smell it (;**

**Maybe next week you will... and the next week.**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do not own, only play. These are Stephanie Meyer's characters._

* * *

—_Now just be warned, my parents are a little 'old school'._

_ —no probs. my parents r the same._

_ —No, I mean they are really 'old school'. Don't be too hurt if my mother ogles your tattoos so it might be wise to cover them. With long sleeves, perhaps._

_ —K._

_ —And your hair; well, she'll stare either way. But don't take it personally._

_ —K._

_ —Maybe a bun?_

_ —jesus christ, edward, y don't I just wear a paper bag?_

_ —Sorry; I didn't mean that. I just don't want your feelings to be hurt by their… potential unfriendliness._

_ —so they r going 2 be mean 2 me?_

_ —No! They're just 'old school'!_

_ —fine. I'll tone it down._

_ —Okay, I'll pick you up at around 5._

_ —K._

The different styles of texts were obvious to anyone. Bella had used her shorthand, as any other person who texted for a living did, while Edward being a professional writer, texted like he wrote. Grammar and punctuation and capitalization on point; using 'u' instead of 'you' would be a sin in his eyes.

As Bella was about to put her phone down, she received another text from him and when she expected it to be another tip on what to wear, she was mildly surprised.

_Wear whatever you want. You're beautiful either way._

And it made her drop any anger she may have been feeling towards Edward because he was trying. But for his sake, she was going to try and do the same for him. She would wear the bun and the long sleeved dress because she wanted to come off with a nice manner. Bella wasn't stupid; she wasn't going to go all off on Edward by ranting _'I'll wear whatever I want; you can't change who I am.'_ Because she knew even Rose put her hair in a bun every once and a while for the occasional parent-meet. Needless to say, Rosalie would have to do more than a hair-bun if she was to ever meet Leah's parents but that was a whole other story.

But Bella would dress like she was going on a job interview. Professional.

Because their son was professional, they were professional, and so she would be to.

But when she had put on, quite frankly her only conservative dress, she had wondered when this dinner had become a business transaction?

She took the dress off and sifted through her closet once more.

* * *

Edward waited for his date outside, against his car. He was there like he said he would be—at 5. Edward was never late, never early. But it seemed maybe Bella leaned on the late side as 5:08 came and went. He was just about to call her again until Bella stepped outside with her dorm keys jingling in her hand, as well as a light jacket draped in her arms.

"Hi," she greeted him.

He reached for her, expressing a somewhat confused look. "Hey. I thought you said you were going to wear long sleeve?"

Bella looked at herself then, noting her gold and blue baby doll dress was still conservative in her eyes. "You said to wear whatever I wanted."

And knowing he had said that, he didn't fight her on it. But with Edward's casual theory that naturally everyone took his advice, he seemed that it would apply to her as well. But this wasn't about money and so therefore, it couldn't have resulted the same way.

Her tattoos were on display all through the car ride, and more than ever, were screaming up at Edward as he drove them both. His parents lived about an hour away and it was a lot of time in the car he had to ponder over whether he should ask her to wear the sweater. But he couldn't; it would be wrong to do so.

Her hair was still up in a bun and her makeup was still light and overall, somehow, Bella managed to maintain a smile even though he knew she didn't want to be doing this at all. He kissed her hand when he got out of the car and walked around the side to open the passenger door for her.

The first thought that ran through Bella's mind was that Edward's family was rich. Their house didn't scream it on the outside, but the inside was magnificently well done and decorated. One could never tell how big the inside was just by judging the outside. Everything was white, but by some means, didn't feel cold. The carpet was white, the couches were white, and there was a large sheep skin throw rug near the fireplace.

God forbid there be a wine spill; it would look like an episode of Law & Order, Bella thought tenderly as she stepped through the foyer.

Edward and Bella still hadn't managed the holding hands stage yet in the relationship, but he didn't go as far as dragging her in by her elbow either. Instead, he slowly led the way with his hand on her hip, into the kitchen where Mr. and Mrs. Cullen were cooking.

Now because Mr. Cullen had already met Bella once before, her presence wasn't as much of a shock as it could have been, being if this was the first time meeting her. If anything, it was a shock to see her looking more conventional than when at the business party. Mr. Cullen thought mindful of her attempts.

However, Mrs. Cullen delightfully smacked her lips upon surprise of the bright girl walking through her kitchen. She slowed the movements of wiping her hands on her towel, eyeing her son's girlfriend deliberately. Then Mrs. Cullen cleared her throat and went in for a gentle embrace.

"Oh, so slim," Mrs. Cullen noted lightly, with a smile to tone down the serious meaning behind it.

Bella forced a smile, but didn't say anything back.

"I'm Esme Cullen. This is my husband Carlisle, but I assume you've met before."

Bella nodded, with an additional smile before taking another look around. "Your home is beautiful."

She thanked the young girl.

Now Esme Cullen knew she was an older woman who grew up with older traditions. She had known that in today's world, kids were running around with different colored hair and piercings in places Esme didn't know one could pierce; however, she had never come in contact first hand with someone of such different taste.

Isabella Swan, in her mind, was an unfortunate beauty; she quickly pictured the girl with brown hair and pink cheeks and clear skin. But Esme Cullen tried not to judge too harshly; she was very fond of her son and knew that he was a smart man. Any girl that had stayed longer than a week in Edward's life must have been something special and so Esme unwillingly accepted this.

Mr. and Mrs. Cullen set the table, along with Edward rolling up his sleeves to go out and pick a bottle of wine. He returned to the table to pour some glasses. As they all settled at the dining table, it was Carlisle at the head of the table with Esme next to him on the left.

On the right sat Edward and Bella, side by side. Bella felt more comfortable this way.

Catfish with a spicy lobster sauce; sautéed vegetables and salad on the side.

Early into the meal, Bella was asked about her college studies. She went into a brief explanation, similar to the one she had during the double date with Edward, Emmett and Rose. The Cullens seemed fairly interested in her reply, finding her passion in the field compelling. It was nice to see young adults still so anxious to get out into the work field, Mr. Cullen thought vivaciously.

"Bella would like to direct one day," Edward said encouragingly, offering a smile in Bella's direction.

"That's great. A great career to strive for," Esme replied, picking at her vegetables.

"You know, after Bella graduates, it may not be a bad idea to see if there are any openings in the company?" Edward mentioned casually, speaking to his father specifically.

It was the first mention of this that Bella had heard and frankly, she wasn't too keen on the idea. She didn't want to stay in Chicago; that plan did not change even with Edward in the mix now.

"Oh, Edward, I'm sure that's not what Bella wants to do," Carlisle brushed the idea off.

Bella nodded, a bit perplexed. "No, I'm a terrible writer."

Edward looked over at her. "You wouldn't have to be in my department."

"Edward, I'm not sure that would be best. Besides, Bella seems perfectly set on moving westward."

In the midst of the conversation unfolding, Bella was getting the hint that perhaps working for Edward and Mr. Cullen's company was something not that she didn't want, but rather what Mr. Cullen didn't want. And she understood why.

A girl with purple hair and nose piercings would definitely set the company off balance with its appearance. Bella wasn't sure if Edward was picking up on his father's clues but the conversation was dropped anyway. Esme's decorating of the house was light and easy on Bella's part because it bestowed most of the talking on Esme. They settled on this topic until dinner was over.

After dinner, Esme took Bella on a tour of the house, including the upper part where the bedrooms, offices were. Another pattern of white and blue occurred throughout the house; it was truly professional work that had been done. But once Bella's eyes settled on Edward's old bedroom, her interest ran exclusively to opening his door to peek inside.

* * *

Edward was in a deep conversation with his father as they cleared the table. Mostly about work, mostly about stock—a special interest him and his father shared.

Near the sink, his father ran the soapy water and dowsed the silverware and dirty plates in it.

"I never got your opinion on Bella," Edward said carefully.

Carlisle didn't shift his gaze from the plate he was working on. "She's a nice girl, Edward."

"I'm feeling a 'but' in there somewhere."

Carlisle set the plate down and looked over at his son. "Why do you always do that to me?"

"Because you always have an objection to something."

"No I do not."

"Yes, you do."

"Do you want me to share every detail about how I feel?"

Edward crossed his arms in front of him, leaning against the sink. "Yes, dad, the truth is helpful." Sarcasm rolled off the tongue.

"She's nice but—" Edward rolled his eyes at his father, "—she's not someone I pictured you having a steady relationship with."

"Because of how she looks?" Edward was prepared for this.

"Not only that but her age. I know she's not that much younger but I feel, for your case and your profession, that you would find yourself with someone with similar careers, interests... and age."

"Bella and I have the same interests. And she's graduating in a few months."

"And moving to California."

Edward found himself mimicking a certain action that Jasper had always done when he felt uneasy. He rubbed the back of his head as he turned from his father.

"Yeah, but that may change."

Mr. Cullen turned off the sink and took out a dry towel. He grabbed for one of the washed wine glasses.

"Didn't seem that way to her. Have you talked to her about it?"

"No, but—"

"Edward, here's the thing. She is still young. Maybe 5 or 6 years younger, but she is just beginning her life. After college, she wants to go places, experience things. Now you're very young too, but you have already gone out and accomplished some of those things after _you_ graduated from college. You're rooted to your job right now. You certainly can't pick up and move to California with her and it wouldn't be fair to ask her to stay."

His father's words were left in the air like a comic book bubble. Edward thought about it and made sense of his words but didn't like the way they sounded. Obviously, it was not what he wanted to hear.

"Yeah, but I can write anywhere. I don't need to have an office in Chicago for that."

"Son, it's not that simple. You're not an author. You're a columnist for the _Sun-Time_ _Chicago_ newspaper. They want their writers in the same city as the newspaper they are writing for."

Edward didn't answer.

"Might want to talk with her about it."

After a minute of silence from the both of them, Edward let out another sigh and pushed himself off from the counter. He grabbed some of the wine glasses to put back in the glass bureau off the dining room. When he returned, he dried his hands on a hand towel.

"So, it isn't about how she looks?"

Carlisle gave a light chuckle. "Not with me. Your mother, however, might have a harder time grasping the purple hair and tattoos."

Edward grimaced, while hearing footsteps move above him, around the second and third floor.

* * *

Bella pushed the door open, letting it crack on its own.

"Edward's room," Esme said over her shoulder and then suddenly, Bella was alone in the hallway.

She walked in cautiously, taking note of the open space the room had. It looked very personal, as if someone was still vacating the room now, however, Edward had probably moved out years ago.

It still had a child feel to it but with some few additions like the extra suits in the closet or a Bears foam finger stuffed in a laundry hamper made it seem that they were left here recently, within the past five years.

Edward's apartment back home was gray but here, everything was blue and young and clean. She ran a finger along everything, something similar she had done the first time she entered Edward's apartment.

The drawers still held clothes he possibly wore when he was a teenager, along with a mix of new things like large socks, briefs and cotton t-shirts. There may have been a Tom Petty band tee but Bella would have to unfold it to be completely sure.

"You can take whatever you want."

Bella jumped in her spot, scared from Edward's sudden appearance by the doorway. He leaned on the frame, hands in pockets as he watched Bella standing near his dresser.

"I'm sure I'd look very attractive as a cross dresser."

"Well, I did buy the most expensive briefs when I was younger," he laughed, walking into his old bedroom.

"Why's that?" Bella seemed fairly curious, opening a drawer.

"I thought it would impress the ladies."

"Consider one impressed." She winked at him.

"It wasn't like I was getting laid every night; although my seventeen year old self would have liked to believe that were the case."

Bella reached for him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She kissed his jawline.

"Oh, I'm sure you were very attractive when you were younger."

"Eh, you wouldn't have liked me when I was younger. I was really cocky." Edward then pulled out a couple of bobby pins from her hair, letting it fall out of its bun. It cascaded down her back.

"Everyone is cocky when they're seventeen."

Edward kissed her stronger this time, letting the kiss linger into places of no return. He grabbed her by the neck, feeding into the kiss until their legs hit the bed and Bella shot an eyebrow at him.

"Ever actually sleep with anyone in this bed?" she asked, half joking.

Edward twisted his mouth. "You would be the first one."

Bella laughed.

"I wouldn't advise it though; my parents are still downstairs."

Bella went quiet for a moment, getting lost in her own questions. Very quietly, she curled her fingers behind her ears. "Do your parents like me?"

"Yeah." It wasn't much of a lie; at least not how Edward perceived it. Because he didn't make his parents take a survey and check off what they did or didn't like about her, he only assumed that from how they acted tonight, Bella had made a nice impression on them.

"Pretty sure I should have gone with the long sleeved dressed." Bella looked down at her fox tattoo with mixed emotions.

"Don't be puerile; my mother hasn't been living under a rock her whole life."

Bella made a face. "But you said to wear the long sleeved dress because you didn't want to freak her out."

"I know, and I apologize. What you wore was fine; anything you would have worn would have been fine because it would have been _you._ That's why I like you."

"So if I had come in dressed as a librarian, you wouldn't like me?" Again, Bella meant it as a joke but a part of her was mildly curious of his answer.

Edward thought about it, taking into consideration that it would definitely make his mother happy. "Sure. I mean, it would be shallow to say I _only_ liked you for how you looked. But I like your mind, Bella."

And it came out randomly, but it was in Bella's thoughts the whole night. "Your father doesn't want me to work for your company."

Edward sat on the edge of his bed, watching Bella stand in front of him. He rested his hands on her upper thighs, absentmindedly rubbing them, feeling the material of her opaque black stockings on his fingertips.

"That's not true. I just think he didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable by making you feel compelled to say yes."

"I wouldn't have said yes. I wasn't lying; I bomb all my term papers."

Edward let out a quiet laugh.

"But really, he seemed pretty resilient to me working there."

"Well, I won't beat around the bush. The company has a very specific image and I'm pretty sure if you applied there, they would ask you to dye your hair and cover your tattoos. It would be standard for anyone who applied with artificial hair color."

Bella nodded, uneasily, but nodded. She understood; she wasn't ignorant to the way some things worked. She was very familiar with this when she went in for her first tattoo on her back.

The way his father reacted was similar to the way Edward reacted the one night they were discussing her plans in L.A. That same nail biting feeling occurred again and it upset Bella that he may have been right.

Then, Edward pulled her down to sit on his lap. He kissed her neck and nuzzled his face in her hair, sighing. "Don't work at my company. All the employees, excluding Emmett and Jasper, are assholes. You wouldn't like it there."

And it was one of the many reasons why she liked Edward so much. He somehow changed heavy situations around and made her not feel so dense about everything. But she knew this conversation would never settle on the backburner forever. Because it was important.

"Speaking of Emmett. Does he know yet?"

"Yeah. He knew since the first night he met her. But he's in denial."

"I don't think Rose told him yet; I don't know why she's stringing him along," Bella said, pursing her lips in wonder. "I think she's still just really confused."

It hadn't been too long since Rose came out about being gay so it could have been that very reason as to why she was holding onto Emmett. Because she wasn't necessarily attracted to him, not physically, but maybe it was nice having someone want you while the person you really wanted, didn't.

Or maybe Rose was somehow convinced that if she hung out with a guy long enough again, she would somehow change who she was. Because liking Leah made her hurt.

But she was 'liking Blondie' when they all knew Rose was actually a 'Rihanna' kind of girl. And fake liking something has never helped anyone with anything.

"C'mon, let's go back downstairs." Edward got up and by complete instinct, he grabbed for Bella's hand. Neither one mentioned it, but it was the first time either held each other's hand. And even though it was small, it was a step forward.

* * *

On the way out, as hugs and handshakes, coats and collective farewells were being given out, it was noted that Esme did not go in for a last embrace at the door. Instead, she touched Bella's shoulder, twisted her red stained lips into what could almost be deciphered as a grimace, said goodbye.

And it was Bella's cracked lips that didn't mutter a word on the entire ride back.

* * *

**Chapters will be getting a little longer from here on out.**

**Drama and circumstances will be increasing from here on out.**

**Thanks a million to everyone who reviews!**

**I would also like to mention that because this story is in third-person, I like to take the opportunity to get other inputs from other characters because I think it adds important detail to the story, which I wouldn't appropriately be able to do if I had just used first-person.**

**Hope all is well (:**


	8. Chapter 8

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do not own, only play. These are Stephanie Meyer's characters._

* * *

"The moon was my first. I've always been mesmerized by the moon, even when I was a kid. I used to sit outside all night and look up at it until my mom yelled at me to come inside."

Edward smiled.

"And I'm just kind of a night person," Bella shrugged, laughing at herself.

Edward reached up and pulled back more of her hair. "And the feathered wings?"

"Just something cool I saw on another girl."

"The cross?" His fingers dabbed along her skin, outlining the black lining of the tattoo. The detailed cross was obviously a newer tattoo as it was darker and more thorough with its ink lining.

Bella hummed, looking below at her rib cage. She closed her eyes. "I really like the idea of a higher power in control of my life." Her words were soft and genuine, but also very quiet and personal. As if she was talking to herself.

"I've been through a lot of shit… and I think it's nice to believe in something that's good. For a little while, at least."

His mind carried with her, to the private place she was taking him. It was made known to him that perhaps Bella was very candid with almost anything, but there were sides to her, depths to her that Edward couldn't even imagine. He sat up in his bed and delicately kissed her shoulder.

"I like this tattoo, then."

Even though she wasn't looking at him, Edward could feel her smile.

Resting his chin on her shoulder, he spoke into her neck. "Well, how about the fox?"

She turned around to meet his face, her breath swirling between them. "Well, I just like foxes," she murmured charmingly, kissing his mouth.

He hummed against her lips, spreading her mouth open with his tongue.

They sat there for a bit, doing whatever it was that they always did. But the point was that Bella had recently become very comfortable with this new routine. A habitat, a place of familiarity—a lifestyle.

Edward was easy for her, nice for her, good for her. And in every way, he was perfect for her.

They settled into a fairly common humdrum, wading out the week together. In bed, on the couch, at the coffee shop or on the streets. A part of her grew in him, became an extension of him; everything about their relationship was normal.

What was not normal was his mother's reaction that night of the dinner. And it had solely been on Bella's mind for a good while until she finally brought it up. Edward's apologetic behavior didn't make her feel any better, as it wasn't him she wanted to hear the apology from. It wasn't really even an apology that Bella wanted to hear but rather, an explanation. She thought she had made a good impression but apparently, that wasn't so.

_"There's no excuse for her behavior."_

_ "Well, I did say she was 'old-school'. Again, that's not an excuse."_

_ "My father should have done something."_

Bella's face had twisted with apathy; his concern for what _should_ have been done left no abrasion on Bella's mind. Only why Esme had done it.

Maybe the hair coloring isle in the supermarket was whispering friendlier words than before.

But Edward's outlook on Bella had not changed one bit. In fact, he was more comfortable with it than ever. Even though Bella's dressing was still very much eccentric, it was all becoming customary for him. She could have dressed however she wanted to and he would still think she was extraordinary; Bella was never 'that girl with the purple hair'.

Although, Jasper thought of her like that.

As well as Emmett.

As well as his mother.

As well as everyone in his office.

For reasons, his business became everyone else's. And for a while, he had forgotten how intrusive his company was but then he had also remembered that he was never the guy with the juicy outside-of-work activities. And now that he had suddenly become interesting, in ways the office could talk about, he _was_ all the office could talk about.

As well as Emmett's obsession with the college lesbian.

Jasper's grandfather going bankrupt and serving jail time for embezzling millions of dollars from the bank.

Even Kate's acclaimed 'sugar daddy'.

Everyone wasn't against him; Edward was just finally paying attention to the company gossip.

And they were talking about everyone. Not just him.

As he should have expected; his company made a living on exploiting interesting news to the public.

But he didn't want to be anyone's topic of conversation. Not when it came to anything other than his finance column. But honestly; who read that section of the paper?

* * *

Sunday came and went; the last day of Spring Break.

Rose told herself she wouldn't be sitting by her phone, waiting for a call, but in reality that's all she did that day. In her defense though, she went food shopping, window shopping and library book shopping; she was just looking at her phone the entire time while doing it.

And by 8 o'clock that night, Rose Hale knew it was a day gone by. And Leah was probably back from being away and in no way of having the energy to see Rose. So when Emmett unexpectedly texted Rose, asking if she was up for drinks, her afternoon class the next day seemed far enough away for her to get distracted on something else.

That, and maybe Leah. No, she didn't want to think about Leah at all.

* * *

Alice sat on her bed, while Bella sat on hers. Their mimicked positions—crossed legged, starring at their computers—was not planned however, comical in a sense that if someone were to walk in and see them.

Briefly, they had mutual conversation over their shared philosophy class but other than that, they kept to their typing independently. Only until Alice, abrasively, shut her laptop.

Bella looked over.

"Are we _there_ yet, on that friendship level? Where I can ask you something personal?" Alice asked.

Bella squinted her eyes and let out a nervous laugh. "Sure, Alice."

Alice twisted her mouth, debating her decision. In her blue leopard sweats and gray tank, she looked younger than her true age. In truth, Alice was only a year younger than Bella and Rose. She had long hair, parted down the middle, and met at her collarbones. Her face was still mature, but somehow now, Alice looked like a scared twelve year old, about to tell her mom about something she did wrong.

She suddenly jumped down from her bed, hooked her fingers into the waistband of her pants to slip them over her hips, revealing her bikini style underwear. She then slipped those off too, until she was bared naked.

Bella laughed, covering her eyes with her hands. "What the actual fuck, Alice!"

"Bella, this is really important!"

"Oh my god," Bella laughed again, peaking through her fingers at her roommate.

"I'm not sure why, but it hurts."

"What hurts?" Bella asked, firmly removing her hands from her eyes. She still couldn't keep a straight face as her roommate stood in front of her, bare as a child from the waist below.

"My cootch! I think it may be razor burn or something but," Alice drifted off, looking down at herself and twisted her mouth again.

"And what do you want me to do about it!"

"I want you to check!"

Bella shook her head. "Alice, fuck no."

"Please! You're my friend. I would do the same for you."

"I'm not so sure I'd let you."

Alice frowned, bouncing on her leg frantically. "Please."

Her sigh was loud and filled the room; as she jumped off her own bed, Bella rolled her eyes and knelt before Alice. As she started to take a clear look, cocking her head to each side to get a different view, Rose walked in on the scene before her. And her only thought was that perhaps she just had very bad timing.

* * *

"Where were you? You've been gone all night," Bella asked, now sitting back on her bed with Rose beside her. Alice was now dressed again and on her own bed, in on the conversation between the three girls.

"Can we at least talk about what I walked in on?" Rose asked, a bit more concerned about why Alice had her pants around her ankles. Or maybe why Bella was fingering her private area.

"Alice has an ingrown hair," Bella laughed.

Alice made a face. "Stop laughing. Once you have one, you'll know how I feel."

"Been there." Bella and Rose said.

The petite girl crossed her arms.

"Who are you shaving for, anyway?" Rose laughed, meaning it as a rhetorical question. Alice's face saddened.

Bella interrupted. "It's 3 in the afternoon. What's up?" Bella asked, turning to Rose again for questioning.

As casually as Rose could muster, she shrugged her shoulders while responding. "I was out with Emmett last night."

"Really?" Bella arched an eyebrow.

"Yeah. We had a few drinks. Nothing serious."

"Then why did you come back this morning?"

"How do you know I wasn't here last night and just didn't stop by until now?"

"Because we see you every hour of the day," Alice offered, running her hands through her hair with her matter-of-factly attitude.

"You're makeup is smudged," Bella offered her more realistic answer. One Rose would see fit to agree to.

"I slept on his couch. Nothing happened."

"You know, just throwing this out here; it may not be the best thing for you to go out on dates with him if you aren't interested in seeing him. Long term." Bella pulled her lips into a tight line after.

Rose picked at her nails, dulling the conversation as much as she could without abandoning it completely. She didn't want to be judged for her choices even as much as she knew was might have been in the wrong.

"Look, no one is getting hurt here. It was just a few drinks. I didn't feel comfortable coming back to campus drunk so he offered his couch. He was a complete gentleman. I was a lady. I wore my own clothes to bed, for Christ's sake." She hopped off the bed then.

"Hey, no one is attacking you, Rose," Bella replied, leaning over the edge of her bed to catch her friend.

"Well, it sure seems like it."

Alice intervened. "We care, that's all."

"I'm fine."

"If this is about Leah, we can talk about it—"

"This is not about Leah." Rose proceeded towards the door, running from the conversation. And as she left the room completely, Bella and Alice shared a look of concern before the door slammed shut.

The absence of their friend left them wondering if what it really was about, if not Leah, something more personal?

* * *

Jasper was carrying some drafts under his arm, along with his old university's logo coffee mug in his hand, on the way to Edward's office. He wanted to discuss something with him about next week's taglines when he knocked on the door and found the room to be empty.

Jasper peeked inside, feeling the vacant space around him. He decided he would come back later, only until he realized that Edward had left his phone on his desk. Now whether Edward was out on his lunch—although it seemed pretty late in the day for that—or he had left early in general, Jasper wasn't sure if he would be coming back for his phone or not.

He held the black cell phone in his hand, deciding what to do with it until it buzzed right in his palm. A text message from Bella appeared.

Again, Jasper was left with an ultimatum of whether or not he should text her back, saying Edward forgot his phone. He decided against it, finding that it was not his place to do so, only until Bella sent him another text. An MSM text.

Accidently, Jasper opened the text and became wide eyed. He dropped the phone, his cheeks going pink instantly.

Giving him what felt like the second heart attack of the day, Emmett came barreling in, calling out for Edward.

"He's not here, Emmett," Jasper said roughly, rubbing the back of his head. Edward's phone buzzed on the table now.

"Oh. What are you doing in here?" Emmett asked.

"I came to talk to him. Why are you in here?"

"Same reason. But dude, seriously, I have to tell you about last night."

The phone's buzzing left the two men looking at Edward's desk before Emmett looked to Jasper.

"Edward left his phone behind?"

Jasper nodded quickly.

"Dude, you okay?"

Jasper looked to his co-worked and swallowed hard, not sure what to say. He slowly shook his head. "I accidentally opened up a text from Bella on his phone."

Emmett smirked, "Oh, really?"

"And it was a nude picture."

Emmett laughed at his friend's embarrassment, his shoulders moving as he placed one hand over his mouth.

Jasper took a giant sip of coffee from his mug.

"Was it nice, at least?"

Jasper gave him a grimace, bumping his shoulder on his way out. Emmett followed suit, closing Edward's door behind them both.

"Well, was it?"

At the last minute, before Jasper turned the corner, he looked around and said quietly "She's has nipple piercings."

_Shit_, Emmett thought on the way to his own office.

* * *

Edward was in his father' office, on the floor two levels above his own office. He was sitting in the chair across from his father's desk. Although the conversation was casual, it still felt like business because his was father had his glasses on. That always meant something different.

"_Sun-Time's_ annual year event is coming up. It's going to be a big one this year. A lot of important people coming. It's crucial that you make a good impression."

"Was there any other option?" Edward asked, not helping much with the slight sarcasm. He knew every event was crucial, in his father's eyes. But all Carlisle really wanted for his son was for him to be successful in everything he did. He knew his son was a good writer, so why not try to show him off to the best publishers and editors out there?

"Mackie Aarons is going to be there. Along with Alec Simmons and Eleanor Cutherback. The editor-in-chief. Human resources. First page headliners. This is what you want to strive for, Edward."

"I know," Edward replied, with more grace this time.

Carlisle looked to his son and took off his glasses. During business hours, this meant his father was about to say something either very important or very rude. To Edward, he wasn't quite sure which was worse.

"Edward. For this event, I want you to be alone."

"Okay..."

"Meaning, you can't bring Bella."

And then it hit him.

Little did he know, back in his empty office, his phone fell silent to Bella's last text message, asking him if they were still on for dinner.

* * *

**Thank you for your reviews!**

**Hope all is well (:**


	9. Chapter 9

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do not own, only play. These are Stephanie Meyer's characters._

* * *

"If this is about ma, it shouldn't be."

"Edward, when have I ever brought your mother into work-related business?"

"That's not answering my question."

"Edward, you know why I am asking you this; don't pretend you don't know why. You're not stupid."

"She's my girlfriend."

"That's irrelevant."

"That doesn't make sense, of course it's relevant!"

"Lower your voice; I don't want this to become someone else's business."

More or less of the conversation was finished in hushed tones but not one of the participants felt content when it was finally over. Edward walked out of his father's office and left early for the day. He ignored Emmett's snickers down the hall, all of which confused Edward because he obviously wasn't in on the joke that was going around.

He then called Bella later that night to cancel their dinner plans.

A minute later, he felt bad, and called her back to tell her to come over.

* * *

_He blatantly ignored the T.V, watching Bella curiously from his peripheral. She was wearing his sweatpants and beater, sitting cross-legged on his couch beside him. Her lavender hair down around her face, sitting in her lap._

_ "Wanna ask me something or you going to keep staring?" Bella said without breaking eye contact with the T.V._

_ Edward smiled faintly, bringing a napkin to his face. He didn't say anything. He took the untouched crust off her plate and nibbled at it. She still didn't break contact with the T.V. He decided to crawl over to her and nuzzle her neck._

_ Peppering kisses along her jaw, her skin smelt like the perfume that she probably sprayed on countless hours ago. She smelt like sweat and apples and textbooks and laundry detergent and spring wind. She smelt _real_._

_ He heard a giggle caught in her throat._

"_Hey, would you care to lend me some of your financial advice?" she asked._

_ He hummed against her neck. "Sure."_

_ "If I'm 26,000 dollars in debt, and I pay 20 dollars every month after graduation, how many years would I have to commit to paying back my college debt?"_

_ Slowly, he dragged his teeth along her neck._

_ "I'm a columnist, Bella, not a mathematician." His response was light and playful._

_ But suddenly, she became stiff. "Who's Bella?"_

_ Edward pulled away. Her hair was blonde. Shoulder length. Straight. Her eyes were green. Her shoulders were broader, her voice was lighter. Her nose no longer curved, but rather developed a small bump at the end. She had a mole on her left eyebrow._

_It wasn't Bella._

_ Kate looked at him confused, still wearing his sweatpants and beater. "Edward, I asked 'Who's Bella?'"_

_ He was shortly baffled, perplexed, finding his surroundings blurry._

_ "She's… she's..."_

_ "She's who?" Kate asked calmly._

_ And for the life of him, he couldn't remember._

Edward woke up.

Bella was sleeping soundly to his left, as she usually did. Though darkened by the night, her lavender hair still sprinkled itself along her pillow, even branching out onto his.

He lay back down.

* * *

Near the end of the week, Bella had invited Edward to the end-of-the-year-art gallery her university held every year. It was held in the Communication's building. It was a beautiful building with a large, beautiful foyer. Once entering the main doorway, there was a stair case on each side that led up to the entire second floor. This was where the art was held and hung up.

Students' submitted pieces hung on the walls, or if sculpted or constructed, were placed on neat presentation tables.

While others strolled through the art, Bella and Edward searched and skimmed through, looking for a piece in particular.

"Are you sure it's here?" Edward asked, noting that they were beginning to reach the other side of the stair case, which would inevitably bring them around to the beginning again. He wasn't in the mood to go around in circles.

"She said it would be here. She took an art class this year."

"Isn't this submitted work, by the Art Majors?" he asked politely.

Her hand slipped out of his in order to touch and lightly dab through some of the art hung above. She was looking for a signature. Or plainly just a name.

"I'm pretty the one class she took as an elective didn't give her entitlement to submit a piece of her work in the end-of-the-year art gallery," Edward added, following behind Bella lazily.

She was beginning to get flustered.

"I don't know, she said—hey! I found it."

Bella reached for the painting, and ran her finger over the black penciled signature that bore a back-slanted, angular curve; it read _Rosalie Hale._

The two stepped back to look at the stencil drawing more fully. The piece was about a yard high and was drawn on what looked to be some sort of wood-pulp based paper, bearing a thin exterior. It was stapled securely to wall.

It was a full detailed sketch of a woman's body from behind.

"I guess I know why they chose this," Edward said, mostly to himself. His shear surprise of how well it was drawn was not lost on him. Or Bella.

The drawing held an extremely realistic take on what a woman's body generally looked like. The back was twisted and box-y, the line of her spine somewhat crooked and branching down to her tail bone. The woman's figure was neither skinny nor plump but somewhere in the middle. The cheeks of her backside were not round and did not represent the perkiness of a young teenager's however, it was toned and shaded.

Regardless if Rose perceived this woman with resemblance of someone she knew, or had just simply drawn from the imagination, it was obvious that this was the perception of a woman Rose wanted to show.

This woman was someone that Rose wanted everyone to love. Because this is what she saw.

Edward tilted his head respectfully at the drawing, observing the strange fade out of the legs. The woman's feet were not drawn. Nor were her hands.

"She has talent."

"I didn't know," Bella shook her head.

They looked at it a bit longer. In comparison to the other art in the room, it was not the most well-drawn or the most creative by any stretch of the imagination. And because of this, it was purposely placed near the ending of the gallery. However, it was chosen for a reason and stood out amongst the others to attest to its powerful image.

Rose had shrugged off her own invitation; she said she wasn't of fan of looking at her own work, nonetheless others, gawking at what may or may not have been good art. But she more or less let on about the show in case Bella was interested in going.

And Bella was certainly interested in going. Especially to see her best friend's work. Alice apparently went earlier than Bella and Edward's arrival. Bella didn't see her roommate there now.

"Think she used a nude model?" Edward asked, jokingly.

Bella shook her head. "Well," her gaze drifted to the bare back, "we know it wasn't me."

With that comment, Edward kissed her lightly on her shoulder.

A woman passed the both of them, not even realizing she was giving off an estranged expression. It was small but it didn't go unnoticed. The atmosphere changed a bit then but no one said anything.

They decided to head out.

Abruptly, as the couple descended the staircase, Edward motioned Bella to a vacant corner, letting other students pass them to exit the building.

"Hey, I want to talk to you about something." With his head low, he scratched at his chin. He wanted to tell Bella about the gala, against his father's best interest.

"Want to wait until we get back to my room?"

Edward shook off her offer. But then he thought about it, and sighed, nodding in agreement. He was always so bad about his timing when asking things.

So they left without another mention of it.

* * *

Rose was never much of a drawer. She knew she _could_ draw but she never found a lot of joy in it and she never practiced much either. It just wasn't something she took up as a hobby.

Her grandfather was painter who painted imitations for a living. She watched him and found his work to be too profound for her interest. Rose liked having liberty with her art; she didn't like having guidelines. Or another picture for reference.

Which was also why Rose didn't favor her art class. She had worked her way around the class as much as possible only until she realized it was the very class she needed to fulfill her Art requirements. She figured if she took a basic course, an introduction class like 101 she wouldn't have to try as hard. In the end, the class was exactly what Rose pegged it for.

The 8 week course also had a final project. The final project was a free range project. The students could do whatever they wanted; paint, sculpt, draw, mold, rip apart and glue together, anything to show off their talents in their strong areas. Finally, she wouldn't have to use references.

So Rose drew what would make her liberal arts professor give her an A. While concluding that sketching was probably her only strong point, she took her good grade and checked the class off her requirements. But it was the fact that her work had been submitted to the art gallery that had her feeling rather... embarrassed.

A knock on the door gave Rose a flinching nerve in the chest while at her desk. She stood up and went to the door, seeing as how her roommate was not in her room on a Friday night.

At the door, stood a girl with her cell phone clamped in her right palm.

At the door, stood Leah Clearwater.

* * *

Instead of heading back to Bella's door, it was Edward's suggestion to walk around for a bit. The warmth of the night invited them both; they churned out casual discussion as they walked side by side. Edward's hands jingling his keys in his pockets offered an unsettling feeling for Bella.

"What are you doing after college?" Edward asked casually.

Bella's fingers lingered near her neckline where she proceeded to keep her hair off her shoulders. She shifted her fading hair to her left side.

"You know my plans," she replied absently.

Edward slowed his walk. "I've known of your plans since the day I met you. But what I'm asking, now that you've really gotten to know me, is, what are you doing after college?"

As he slowed, Bella stopped completely and turned to him completely.

"Why are you asking me this?"

"Because it matters."

"I… still would like to move to L.A. and pursue my filming career."

Edward swallowed and gave a solid nod. It was an understanding nod but it didn't even pass the surface as a convincing one.

"And what will happen to this?" he asked, referencing the both of them.

"I would still like to keep this."

A car drove past them on the street, warding them of the still very public place they were in. Edward looked back to her, finding her pale lips to be puckering underneath the stigma of a soon-to-be fight.

"Long distance relationships are not my strong suit," Edward commented lightly, using a matter-of-fact tone.

"Neither are relationships in general for me, but I managed to keep this going on my end."

"Bella, that is not the same thing here. This is different; this is more important."

Her reaction was taken aback. It was, as a matter a fact, very important to her. The process of being in a steady relationship was no easy feat for her and instantly, he made it sound like a lousy grab for an excuse.

"Edward, I'm not getting in a fight with you right now. This is not how I wanted to spend my night."

He reached for her arm when she went to turn. "This is now how I wanted to spend _my_ night. But I'd like to talk about this like the adults we are."

"You think I'm being childish?"

Edward took a minute to reply.

"Right now? Yes, yes you are."

Bella ripped her arm from him. "Then I guess it would be appropriate for me to stick my tongue out at you as I walk away." Which she proceeded to do so as Bella turned the street corner, heading for the dorms.

* * *

Leah Clearwater set her phone on her lap, sitting crossed legged on Rose's bed. Rose sat across from her, mimicking her same position however, she had a packet of study guides in her lap instead.

"Bella sent me a picture of your art work from the gallery."

Rose's eyes went big. "She did?"

"Yeah. It was unbelievable. I'm sorry I missed it. When you get the drawing back, can I see it in person?"

Rose's nose scrunched unintentionally, like she did when she had a cold. "You didn't miss anything. It's not a big deal."

Leah scrolled through her phone again. "It's a beautiful drawing, Rosalie."

"Rose," the blonde haired girl mindlessly corrected. For some reason, she didn't care for Leah calling her by _Rosalie_. None of her closet friends did, and she guessed she didn't want Leah to either.

"_Rose,_" Leah extenuated the name in a joking matter, "You should be more proud of you work."

Her shrug was light-hearted and not intended to mean anything else, so when Rose shrugged her small shoulders, Leah leaned in forward.

"I'm sorry I haven't been able to see you in a while," Leah started to say.

Rose gently leaned backwards, feeling trivial and almost cautious; she settled back on her pillow.

"It's okay; you're busy."

Leah shook her head quietly, letting her dark strands brush her cheeks.

"No. I'm just terribly shy at seeing new people." It was an honest response and it made Rose curl her sock-covered toes underneath her legs.

"It's okay. I'm not worth impressing or the least bit threatening."

Leah's raspy laugh caught a nerve with her. "I doubt that."

"Which part?"

Leah shrugged her shoulders. "After seeing your art, you are very threatening."

Rose laughed cynically at that and played with the papers on her lap. Just then, her phone beeped and lit up. Rose asked Leah, sitting closest to her end table, if she could hand the phone to her.

She did as asked but once something caught Leah's eye, she kept the phone close to her and smiled.

"Who's Emmett?"

* * *

"Bella?"

"Bella? Would you just come back for one second?"

"Bella."

"Bella, c'mon, now you're being ridiculous."

Fifteen steps in front of the tailored man in a suit, Bella Swan turned back around and laughed. "No. What's ridiculous is you thinking that somehow, we can't have a conversation like adults."

Edward threw up his hands, submissively. "By the looks of it, yeah, Bella, I'm going to say that's true." There was quite a bit of space that was between them now, along with the minor stares from other pedestrians.

Bella's sling-bag bounced furiously against her thigh as she walked.

"Calling me childish isn't going to make me feel any less inferior to you." It bothered her so much because in a way, calling her 'childish' felt like a personal stab at her age. Though it never seemed like a real issue before, she felt maybe this was his subconscious yelling out at them.

"Again, look where we are right now," Edward said in a lower tone, not really caring if it was meant to be heard or not.

Once she reached the front of her dorm, she waited until Edward caught up just to tell him to leave.

"Bella. I'm sorry I said how you felt wasn't important. I didn't mean that, okay? The main reason why I even brought up this whole conversation was because I hate the thought of you leaving, okay? Now will you let me stay?"

Bella stopped fumbling with her keys, letting her arms fall to her sides. She pinched in her cheeks, looking for reasons to say 'no'. She didn't have any.

* * *

"Give me the phone, Leah." Rose grabbed for her cell phone, only to have Leah pull away.

"God dammit, Leah, give me my phone!" She let out an high pitched laugh as she reached further and further over the bed. Leah jumped down and pretended to read the texts from the unknown Emmett. She made a face like she was reading something incredibly juicy and laughed herself.

"Boyfriend? Secret boyfriend?" Leah offered playfully.

Finally, Rose was able to snatch her phone back and when she saw that the text was still unread, she exhaled loudly through her nose.

"That's not funny."

"Oh, c'mon, Rose, I was only kidding." She continued to follow her back onto the bed where Rose sat down with a _plop!_ Her study guides crinkled underneath her legs.

"But who's Emmett?"

"No one. He's no one."

"Okay."

Leah paused.

"So is he your boyfriend?"

"No! He's just a friend."

"A secret friend?"

"Leah, he's nothing. Not a friend, not anything."

* * *

Alice was still nowhere to be found which was fortunate for Bella because three was a crowd. Especially in a studio.

Edward's fingers touched her lips when he commented on something about her makeup.

"You don't wear lipstick anymore."

"I don't always."

He let it go, shrugging, like it wasn't personal to him. "I just noticed, that's all."

Bella walked away from him and sat in her computer chair at her desk. It was a very tight space, Edward thought to himself; he couldn't imagine two girls living here. Peacefully, at least. He could walk around the entire room and see everything he needed to see under a minute. He shortly followed Bella to her desk.

Standing in front of her, he leaned against her bed post.

"I want you. I want you after you graduate. I'm still going to want you, even if you move."

"Me too."

"Childish or adult," he sighed, "it's how I feel."

"Me too," she repeated.

Silence.

Music lightly played in the background, bouncing off the walls from another dorm room. Biting at him like a flea, Edward itched at his dream he had the other night.

The clock on the wall behind them had a loud tick. A ticking spir then pinched his stomach. The _Sun-Time_ gala was initially what he had wanted to talk about with her. It seemed a little insignificant now.

"Bella…?" he asked quietly.

But suddenly, Bella's phone beeped and it was Alice; she apologized and answered the text, notifying her she was back in the dorm.

Edward remained silent afterwards.

* * *

"I think I should go. I have a whole bunch of other things I should probably be doing right now."

Before Rose could take slight offense to her statement, Leah quickly mentioned 'school related' things and nudged her jokingly on the shoulder.

Leah Clearwater found her way to the door, turning around to say goodbye. Rose stood in her multi-colored green sweater and black shorts; her hair pulled into a bun. Leah chewed on the inside of her cheek.

She was going to wave goodbye but felt it was too impersonal now. So as Leah went in for a hug, she felt Rose return the favor except, she was instantly taken aback when Rosalie Hale kissed her instead.

* * *

Alice was entering her room the same time she and Bella, both, received a text from Rose saying: _I made a mistake._

* * *

**Thank you for the reviews!**

**(;**


	10. Chapter 10

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do not own, only play. These are Stephanie Meyer's characters._

* * *

"Why the fuck you would send that picture to Leah?" Rose whispered loudly, conscious of the late time.

Bella slipped off her heels and tossed them into her shoe bin, peeling off her jeans and sweater afterwards. Alice stayed silent by her desk chair.

"I thought it was pretty."

"Sure, if I drew a puppy, or horse, or a tree," Rose rambled, standing near the far end of the room against the wall, "But not when…." she trailed off.

Bella stopped and looked over at Rose, as did Alice, when the air suddenly went damp.

Taking a short breath, Bella bunched up her bed-wear in her hands. "Look, I'm sorry. It was none of my business. You're right."

Rose didn't say anything back, but dropped her arms into more of a submissive gesture.

Alice wrinkled her nose. "But the kiss though."

"Was a mistake." Rose talked with her hands a lot.

"Are things awkward now?" Alice asked.

"I don't even know; she ran out of there like a bat out of hell, saying she had 'homework and shit' to do," Rose ran her hands through her hair, choosing to sit below Alice's bed post.

"I suppose her reaction isn't too far off from how I would've handled it," Alice shrugged, turning in her desk chair and switching on her little lamp.

Rose's eyes squinted up at her. "You'd love if someone like me were to kiss you," Rose bantered sarcastically, earning a chuckle from Bella. "It'll probably be the most action you get while here anyway," Rose muttered in a lower voice.

But it was obvious Alice heard. "You're a bitch, you know that? 'Oh, prude Alice.' Yeah, like I don't get that enough from every fucking student that I don't even know. You're a rock star friend, Rosalie." Her use of Rose's full name was not lost on the blonde haired girl who suddenly went wide eyed.

Bella looked over at the two girls as well, wondering if maybe it was time to end the discussion there.

Rose took the silence as the notion to leave, and so she stood up and headed for the door. As she did so, she motioned for Bella to follow her out the door, into the hallway. Alice climbed into her bed and didn't watch as the two girls left the room.

In the hallway, Bella quietly closed the door behind them and crossed her arms.

"What?"

Rose swallowed, tucking her hair behind her ears. "Leah knows about Emmett. She saw me texting him."

"Okay?"

"It's nothing big but she thinks—well, _thought_, he was my boyfriend. I got mad at her for it. I think that's how things got left on an awkward note."

Bella pulled her lips into a thin line. "No, Rose, I think you kissing her did that."

"No, I know. I just mean, things are just… really fucking hard for me right now."

The hard exterior Rose had once prided herself on started to break; she wiped away some tears that started to drip down her cheek.

"I lied. My parents don't actually know. My dad would kill me if he knew. The first girl I actually allow myself to have feelings for is a Christian. I somehow really do like Emmett, which makes things more confusing because I thought I had figured this all out last year but apparently I'm still lost. I'm just, like…" Rose paused, trying to pull off an attitude of not caring, "fucking alone." But really, she just cared so much.

In the midst of the silence, Bella tugged on Rose's sleeve. "You're not alone."

The sad girl wiped her tears and managed to pull her steel wall exterior back over her front so Bella couldn't exploit any more pity on her.

"Tell Alice I'm sorry, okay?" With that, Rose walked back to her room.

* * *

Alice Mason had never been kissed until she was 19.

It wasn't because she was a prude and it wasn't because her family had weird objections and it wasn't because she had been afraid to.

It was because, in the words of Alice Mason, _"Guys didn't like fat girls."_

She was 18 when she had Gastric Sleeve surgery. In one year, she had dropped more than a hundred pounds. She started college late and went in without anyone knowing of her prior health conditions.

She kissed a guy in her economics course; a guy that told her she was pretty. Something that she was never told by a guy before. But the kiss tasted disgusting on her mouth.

And it was because of the fact that she never really ate much, or never really felt comfortable around guys or never felt comfortable when Bella and Rose talked about sex, that made Alice feel inferior every time someone called her a prude.

Because Alice Mason had a self-loathing problem that not even bariatric surgery could fix.

But when Alice had found of a loophole of fitting in, she figured it was better this way than sticking out college alone. And the loophole was finding Bella and Rose.

Alice had figured that since Rose had problems with her sexuality, causing reasons for her not to fit in, and since Bella had problems with her looks, causing reasons for her not to fit in, it made Alice's problems with insecurity a little more manageable when it came to _her_ not fitting it.

Because nothing felt better than knowing you weren't alone with your problems. Even when the problems weren't shared; they were still _problems_.

But it was Rose's comment that hurt Alice the most.

Why?

Well, it had come from someone Alice dubbed as a _friend_.

And nothing felt worse than having a friend stab at your problems in effort to downplay their's.

* * *

Bella woke up late the next morning, finding Saturday a day well wasted in bed. When she woke, Alice wasn't there and she could feel the silence in the room. As much as she wanted to take advantage of it, Bella dragged herself out of bed to get to the mail room.

Before she left the room, she scribbled on a sticky note and stuck it to Alice's bed.

It read: _Rose says sorry._

While not using her car in college, Bella's father agreed to pay for the car insurance for the time being. In exchange, he asked for Bella to pay for her own cell phone bill. So she was expecting this in the mail today. While sifting through her very shallow stack of letters, her phone rang with a phone number she wasn't familiar with.

Bella wedged the phone between her cheek and shoulder. "Hello?"

Someone cleared their throat. "Um, hello, Bella? It's Jasper. Whitlock. We met at the club, that one night."

Bella was taken aback. "Oh. Yes, I remember you."

She could feel the awkward tension between the phone lines. Jasper was sure he felt it too, because the only picture that came to mind was the one he saw of Bella on Edward's phone in a very… provocative manner. And his cheeks went pink to acknowledge how he felt.

"Hi."

"Hi," her greeting dragged out on her tongue.

"I'm just calling—well, mostly because I can't get in touch with Edward for the life of me. He never answers work related calls on Saturdays so it's not like I expected him to but it's kind of important. I think he forgot to mark down on his invitation that he was taking a 'plus one'—obviously you—so I was just double-checking to make sure you will be attending a Friday from now on the 25th?"

His rushed and yet, aggravated, tone had Bella almost jumbled for words. Mostly, she seemed confused, and so she set down her mail on the counter of the mail room to take hold of her phone in her hand.

"Um, Jasper. Mr. Whitlock—"

"Yeah, Jasper's fine."

"_Jasper_. I don't really know what you're talking about. Attending what?"

There was a break on the phone, and then the sound of papers shuffling on Jasper's end. He recollected his thoughts.

"Um, _Sun-Time's_ Summer Gala? I was sure Edward told you, I, uh…."

There was more shuffling of papers.

Realizing she was chewing on her nail bits, she pulled back her hand from her mouth. She looked down at her wildly long, midnight blue nails and stopped. She brought her fingers up to her pale lips.

Bella made a decision.

"You know what, Jasper, yeah, I uh, I remember. Sorry; late start this morning. The Gala, a Friday from now. Got it. I _will_ be attending." She looked at her nails once more before collecting her mail and exiting the mail room.

Jasper's sigh was one of relief but gave off a cool undertone in his voice in effort to not sound panicked. "Oh, good. Thanks; I'll make sure then to put you down."

"Great. Thank you."

"No problem. Well, then, I guess I will see you there, Bella. Have a nice day."

"Hey, Jasper!" Bella quickly asked.

"Yeah?"

"Edward didn't give me all the details about it. Would you mind shooting me a quick email with a time and place and such?"

Jasper didn't think much of it when he easily agreed, wrote down her email and hung up. He sent out the email to her, along with sending out the envelopes of the guests who would be dining that evening.

And Bella's name sat right next to Edward's on the guest list, written in black ink with a permanent impression.

* * *

Edward was always a button-down kind of guy. It was his casual. It was his formal. He went out on dates with Bella in button-downs, he went to seminars in button-downs. He went to work in button-downs, with a suit jacket on top, but nonetheless, he always wore button-downs.

Tonight he was in a tuxedo, accompanied with a bow tie and a suit vest, leaving his casual button-downs somewhere in his closet back at home.

He carried himself well in a room amongst others who either gave you a pass or fail grade. Throat-cutters, as his father would label them. They were at the top of the pyramid in the _Sun-Time's_ reign. Carlisle's bosses.

Edward had met them all once; it was a good meeting. They liked him. Said he had chutzpah. He was not too sure why 'chutzpah' had anything to do with Edward's actual column but it wasn't meant as a derogatory term by them.

But tonight, Edward was looking for more than just an adjective from them. He wanted approval.

The evening event was held at the Hilton Chicago Hotel, in the Great Hall. The exquisitely large space was scaled from head to toe in purples and golds; the staircase embroidered with architectural design along with the beautiful detailed painting on the ceiling, it made for perfect location.

It was his father that had come up to Edward first and handed him a drink. It was water. How keen. But Edward drank it nonetheless. It was when his father had walked away did he swap it for a something off a waiter's tray.

Emmett chatted with him briefly, mentioning Bella's absence. Edward's reply was chopped and transitory, something about her being busy with last minute class assignments.

To his surprise, Emmett did not have a date either. He was alone. Edward half expected to see Rose here; _half_ expected. He was well aware of the sort of conundrum his friend was in. And he was eventually filled in on the details of their apparent 'sleepover' the other night as well.

Edward knew Emmett McCarthy was a complete gentleman. He was large and overly sarcastic and had a very odd—somewhat, dry—sense of humor. But Emmett has never been anything less than polite. So in terms of the sleepover, there was nothing 'juicy' about it.

Some drinks, and then Rose slept on the couch.

But Emmett spoke of her like Edward somehow imagined he spoke of Bella. Focused, detailed, and almost dreamy. Jasper would claim Edward never spoke of Bella at all, but that's because Edward never spoke about her at work. He just chewed Emmett's ear off on weekends.

Emmett's perception of the relationship between him and Rose may have sounded a bit over zealous for the reality of it. But it looked as if they were close friends rather than _dating_. By the way Emmett held his own tonight, Edward thought maybe he had realized this too. That's why Emmett didn't invite Rose.

When Edward asked if he was okay, Emmett patted him on the back and shrugged off the question naturally. He distracted Edward by asking him if he had gotten any texts from Bella lately. He asked this with a smirk.

Edward was confused. "Plenty. Why?"

Emmett McCarthy then smiled for a second time, knowing his own secret he shared with Jasper, and again, shrugged off the question. He left Edward tangled.

But it was Jasper's odd dilemma that really had him at a loss for words. Now Edward had only had a glass and half of champagne but it hadn't disturbed his hearing.

"What?" Edward lowered his glass to look at Jasper more clearly.

"I said, you didn't tell me Bella changed her hair. It looks nice." Jasper's cheeks sparked a bit of pink again.

In means to diffuse the confusion, he set his drink down completely. Maybe alcohol was a bad asset to start the night off with.

"… Bella didn't change her hair color."

"Uh…" Jasper Whitlock's expression grew weary, "Yeah. I just saw her…."

"Saw her? You just saw her?"

"Yeah, at the top of the stair case. Edward, you okay?" Jasper asked but Edward had already started heading towards the large staircase to the second level, "I mean, you guys came together, right?" But Jasper's last question faded out as Edward went out of ear shot.

Nothing was making sense. Why would Bella be here? He… didn't invite her. She didn't know about tonight.

It was impossible for her to have known as how else would she have gotten information on this event other than from him? And though he hated—was repulsed even—that his father asked him not to bring Bella, he still complied anyway.

His father wasn't shy about his reasons either. They were obvious.

_"She's a little eccentric for the image of Sun-Time. She'll stick out like a sore thumb. I'm sorry, Edward, but the big timers are going to be there. I won't have her ruin your chances of impressing them."_

_ "Who I date should have no effect on my abilities to impress people. Who I date is also none of their business."_

_ "Edward, please. See reason. It's just one night. This event doesn't even require you to bring a date. It's not like she was invited and I'm excluding her. This is just your work for that night and I'd like you to be alone to do it. That's all."_

_"Dad—"_

_ "That's all, Edward."_

She was where Jasper had said she was, at the top of the stair case. And she was, as Jasper had seemingly _left out_, the most breathtaking thing in the hotel. And they were in the Hilton Chicago Hotel.

Somehow though, the breath that had been ripped from his rib cage was not solely due to the fact that she looked beautiful in her pearly cream, floor length gown but rather, that everything about her… was wrong.

Her hair was no longer lavender.

It was dark brown. Shorter, too; several inches had been taken off.

Her nails were short, to the bit, and bare. No nail polish.

Her makeup was neutral, almost non-existent. A little mascara, a little blush.

No lipstick.

No septum piercing.

No visible tattoos (from what the dress covered).

And it was all wrong.

Because of the simple fact that Edward had almost mistaken her for someone else, it was all wrong.

Before he started up the staircase, Bella spotted him from above. She smiled to him and reached out her arm, twiddling her fingers at him for him to join her. Edward's feet slowly found themselves walking up the steps, one by one. The closer he got to her, the sooner he realized who exactly she was talking to.

Mackie Aarons. Editor-in-chief of _Sun-Time's_ paper. The main throat-cutter.

However, her expression was far from threatening for her smile grew wider towards the young man.

When Edward reached the final step, Bella hooked her arm around his waist while cupping his cheek with her other hand. She gave him a chaste kiss.

"Edward Cullen. You didn't tell me this little gem right here was with you?"

Quite stunned, Edward looked down to Bella absently smiling, like nothing out of the ordinary, and offered a pat to his back.

He found his words timely, as he usually did. Even in off circumstances. "Oh, yes, well, I just wanted to keep her all to myself."

Mackie Aarons, a woman well into her fifties', with long aging hair smiled before the young couple. Her eyes roamed over both of them equally, and then with a narrow eye on Edward alone. And it seemed to her that they were nothing more than a prized couple of both charm and grace.

From the first level, Carlisle Cullen wore a different expression of surprise than his son had. Because before he could even feel anger towards the idea that his son disobeyed him, he was met with misperception as a girl he thought he knew did not appear to be the same girl.

But with older age came smarts and though his son may have been shell-shocked, maybe even a little naïve, Carlisle knew exactly of the motivation behind the smoke screen Bella Swan had pulled tonight. So he smirked into his champagne flute for now, and waded out the rest of the night without interferences with his son.

Back at the top of the stair case, Edward and Bella excused themselves, bringing attention to their spots at the dining tables. But on the way to the tables, Edward pulled Bella aside, away from the public.

Down a hallway, away from the Great Hall, Edward pushed Bella up against the wall. He kissed her hard.

"What are you doing here?" he asked in between breaths.

"What did you do to your hair?" He pressed up against her stomach, holding the side of her face in his hands.

Though his persistence was almost too hard to detach from, Bella managed to unhook herself from him and step back.

"Get off me."

Edward retreated, with a perplexed look.

"Jasper called me a week ago. Said something about 'forgetting my name on the invitation'." Running a hand through her still very unfamiliar hair, she proceeded to move further away from him.

Edward wiped his lip, still feeling the presence of her mouth on his. "I can explain this."

Bella looked away, letting out a comprised laugh. "Edward, I don't care about getting invited to your fucking party. I'm not some cling-on girlfriend."

"Then why are you here… crashing it?" Again, there seemed to have been no clear answers.

"Why didn't you tell me about it?" she asked with more sincerity.

Inhaling slowly, Edward rubbed the back of his neck. When he took a step forward, she didn't move, but she didn't invite his close proximity either.

"I don't know, it was just some work event that I had to go to… I didn't think it was a big deal worth mentioning."

He knew she knew it was a bullshit answer. The location of the Gala was a buster for one thing.

Bella gathered up the ends of her dress. "Edward, you talked about honesty in this relationship. If you're copping out on that agreement, then I'm leaving." And as she started to go, Edward trotted after her, grabbing her arm to stop her.

"Bella, wait," he slid his hands down her arms before removing physical contact completely, "My father told me not to tell you. He didn't want you to come."

Bella didn't ask why because she already knew.

"I knew your mother didn't like me. I didn't think your father felt the same way."

"Hey now, that's not true. And regardless of anything, it had nothing to do with how my father feels about you personally."

Bella sniffled, rubbing at her face when she felt a tickle at her tear ducks. She didn't want to do this here.

"Yeah, I know. It's about how I look," she spat.

He knew what she meant, referring to the way she looked not too long ago, how he remembered her as. But the words sounded wrong when looking at her now. Edward had been so used to the way she was before that now she looked unusual. Beautiful, but unusual.

"You look stunning," he said quietly.

"That's not what I want to hear right now," she murmured. Bella swallowed hard and took a deep breath, letting go of the ends of her dress.

"It's true."

Bella shared a look with him, meeting his typically punctual manner but finding it unsettling. After a minute, she looked away. He looked different too; she had never seen him so dressed up. She had never seen him dressed down either, just simply in that medium of button-downs and work pants.

"I feel out of my skin," Bella said slowly.

Taking small steps, he closed the distance between the two until he could touch her face. When he did, he cupped it gently and pulled her eyes to his. "I like you no matter how you look."

And this kiss was softer but with less lust than the one before. It was meant as a comforter, nothing more. Bella didn't really invite the kiss but didn't pull away either; Edward sighed into her neck as he dropped his hands.

He pulled back.

"I'm kind of glad you didn't get rid of these," he referred to her nipple piercings that barely rose from underneath the fabric of her dress.

"Why did you change?"

He had seen her without her makeup before, that wasn't the issue. She washed her makeup off plenty of times when she stayed nights at his apartment. But the hair color, the pale makeup, the short nails… it was a different person standing in front of him. So why the change? If coming to the event, why not come full blown in her usual apparel? To prove a point, so to speak.

"Why did you change?" he asked again.

"I think I wanted to know how you would react to it."

And it was the most honest answer of the night.

* * *

**I think I have an aversion to making really dreamy Edwards in my stories... hmm**

**No more exotic Bella. hmm?**

**Hope all is well. :)**


End file.
